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ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Thursday that soldiers who marched in his palace last week had "damaging targets" to end the reforms. .
FILE PHOTO: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks at a press conference in his office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on August 25, 2018. REUTERS / Kumera Gemechu / File Photo
On October 10, several hundred armed soldiers descended into the palace and met Abiy during a first attempt by the government to press for a pay increase.
The national television then showed the 42-year-old leader doing push-ups with smiling men in fatigues and red berets, some of whom were taking pictures on their cell phones.
"The approach adopted (by the soldiers) was not only unconstitutional and dangerous, but also aimed at aborting the reforms," Abiy told legislators in a speech to Parliament in which he gave details of the incident for the first time.
"Five to ten people with infamous objectives," he asked the soldiers, he added.
He gave no further details about the alleged instigators, but he stated that he had physically exercised his strengths to defuse tensions.
"If we had not taken a cautious approach, it could have led to a dangerous situation. All of this went off without any bullet being fired or any loss of life, "he said, adding that unspecified forces" regretted not having the # An opportunity to kill him ".
Since his appointment in April, Abiy has presided over a series of reforms that overthrew the region's policies, including the rehabilitation of dissidents long banned by the government.
He also recognized and condemned the abuses committed by the security forces, equating them even with State terrorism.
But his actions have failed to stem the violence that has often opposed different ethnic groups. About 2.2 million people out of a population of 100 million have been displaced since last year.
In June, a grenade attack attended by tens of thousands of his supporters provoked a rally a few minutes after the end of the speech, killing two people.
In recent months, thousands of people suspected of involvement in violence in the capital and its suburbs have been arrested, leaving dozens dead.
According to the official media, nearly 1,200 young men were released Wednesday after spending several weeks in detention.
"Anarchy is the norm these days. It's something that puts the government to the test, "Abiy told parliament. "Unless we work together and work together, we will not be able to exist as a country anymore."
Edited by Richard Balmforth
