Iran Press/Africa: The militia attacked the police headquarters, ruling party headquarters and president’s office — where they executed three top officials — in Amhara’s regional capital of Bahir Dar on Saturday, Asemahagh Aseres told Reuters on the sidelines of a state burial for the officials who were killed.
The militia was a recently formed unit of the region’s security services. Its appeal to others to join its take-over were rebuffed, Asemahagh said, according to Reuters.
“They are part of our police. They are not independent,” he said. “(But) most of the forces were not with them. They defended (us) very well.”
The fact that the militia were state forces rather than independent forces raises the stakes for the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has rolled out a package of economic and political reforms since taking office in April last year.
Ahmed has lifted a ban on political parties, released journalists, rebels and prisoners, and prosecuted officials accused of abuses. But his shake-up of the military and intelligence services has earned him powerful enemies.
The spokesman said the militia had detained him when it took over a guesthouse for government officials and also tried and failed to take over the region’s state media. He said the militia were then chased out of the city.
Regional state-run media have reported 13 deaths in the violence so far. 213/211/214
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