| 2019 Amhara Region coup d'état attempt | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theEthiopian civil conflict (2018–present) | |||||||
  Bahir Dar Addis Ababa Amhara Region coup attempt (Ethiopia) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Factions of the Amhara Region's Peace and Security Bureau | Government of Amhara Region Government of Ethiopia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Asaminew Tsige † | Ambachew Mekonnen †Abiy AhmedLemma MegersaSe'are Mekonnen †Gizae Aberra † | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| "Dozens" of fatalities[1] | |||||||
The2019 Amhara Region coup d'état attempt was an attemptedcoup d'état against theAmhara Regional government on 22 June 2019, during which factions of the Amhara Region's Peace and Security Bureau assassinated the Amhara Regional PresidentAmbachew Mekonnen. A bodyguard siding with the nationalist factions also assassinated GeneralSe'are Mekonnen, theChief of General Staff of theEthiopian National Defense Force, as well as his aide Major General Gizae Aberra.
Theprime minister's office accused Brigadier GeneralAsaminew Tsige, head of the Amhara Region's Peace and Security Bureau, of leading the plot. Asaminew was later shot dead after escaping.
Historically Ethiopia has experienced ethnic conflicts, and the government established a system ofethnic federalism under the1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, establishing theAmhara Region as a subnational region where the population is predominantly made up of theAmhara people. The traditional districts ofWolkait andRaya Azebo had been part of the provinces ofBegemder andWollo respectively, but they were joined to theTigray Region.[2]
TheEthiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and theAmhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) had been accused of "disciplining the Amhara people instead of representing them".[3][4] Despite these grievances,Amhara ethnic nationalism remained a minor force during the first two decades of the EPRDF-led order. Amhara political elites continued to place their stock inmulti-cultural pan-Ethiopian nationalism and largely rejected ethnic self-identification in favour of a purely Ethiopian multi-ethnic national identity.[5] Accordingly, the region voted overwhelmingly for theCoalition for Unity and Democracy andUnited Ethiopian Democratic Forces opposition alliances in the 2005 general elections, which had run on decisively pan-Ethiopian multicultural platforms.[6]
Abiy Ahmed's rise to power encouraged the belief that theTigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) was in decline and motivated Amhara nationalists to push for the return of the "lost" regions in the Tigray.[citation needed] This was strongly resisted under the leadership ofDebretsion Gebremichael.[7]
In March 2019, Amhara Regional PresidentGedu Andargachew resigned for unstated reasons, but warned of the rising danger of "narrow nationalism" that he claimed were increasing tensions betweenAmharas andTigrayans in his farewell speech.[8]Ambachew Mekonnen replaced him and appointed retired general and former political prisonerAsaminew Tsige as head of the regional security forces.[9] Asaminew delivered an "incendiary" speech in June 2019 at the graduation of members of the security forces, reportedly full of Amhara nationalist invective.[10]
Early in the evening of 22 June 2019, witnesses claimed to have seen and heard explosions at the Regional Police Commission headquarters, the office of the regional legislature, and office of the president inBahir Dar.[11] Shortly after, observers—including the United States Embassy—reported gunfire inAddis Ababa.[12] The prime minister's office said that a "hit squad" reporting to Brigadier General Asaminew, had burst into a meeting of the regional cabinet in Bahir Dar and opened fire.[13] According to Reuters, the meeting's agenda concerned Asaminew's attempts to openly recruit ethnic militias.[10]
In a statement shortly after midnight on 23 June, Prime MinisterAbiy Ahmed announced that GeneralSe'are Mekonnen,Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, had been attacked by "people in his close entourage" who had been "bought by hired elements".[12] The next morning, RadioDimtsi Weyane reported that Se'are and his aide Major General Gizae Aberra had died from their wounds. The Amhara Mass Media Agency likewise reported that the Amhara Regional President Ambachew had been killed along with adviser Ezez Wassie.[14] The Amhara Region Attorney General Megbaru Kebede was also seriously injured[11] and died on 24 June.[15]
Asaminew remained at large for 36 hours after the attempt. State media confirmed that he was shot dead by police nearBahir Dar on 24 June,[16] while several of his alleged co-conspirators had been detained.[10]
Conflicting details regarding the bodyguard who assassinated GeneralSe'are Mekonnen were given from the federal government.[17] Initial reports indicated that the suspect was arrested. However, on 24 June 2019, police said the suspect had committed suicide in order to avoid arrest.[17]
Following the coup attempt, internet access was shut down nationwide.[18][19][20] Ethiopia remained offline two days later with no official explanation.[21][22] Prime Minister Abiy called for unity against the "forces of evil" and flags flew at half-mast on 24 June as the government declared a national day of mourning.[10][23] The United States Embassy advised people to shelter in place, and a wide range of international leaders condemned the coup attempt.[24]
