Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said that some of the soldiers who entered the grounds of his office last week had wanted to kill him. Several hundred armed soldiers descended on the palace on Oct. 10 and met Abiy in what the government initially said was a bid to press for a rise in pay.
At the time, Abiy defused the situation by ordering them to do press-ups and joining in. The Prime Minister and the soldiers were seen laughing but he told parliament that “inside he was very unhappy”.
Abiy told lawmakers during a question-and-answer session that the march of some members of the army to his office was not only unlawful but very dangerous, because the intention was to abort the ongoing reforms.
Since his appointment in April, Abiy has presided over a raft of reforms that have turned the region’s politics on its head, including the pardoning of dissidents long outlawed by the government. He said some of the troops wanted to derail them.
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