Ethiopia grenade attack

This item appears on page 14 of the August 2018 issue.

In Addis Ababa on June 23, a grenade thrown into a crowd supporting Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed killed at least two people and injured at least 44. Ahmed was present at the rally but was not injured.

Abiy became prime minister after the former prime minister unexpectedly resigned in February 2018. He is the first prime minister who is a member of the Oromo people, one of the largest ethnic groups in Ethiopia, and is considered a reformer. Since taking the position, Abiy has unblocked hundreds of formerly censored television stations and websites.

Ginbot 7, an Oromo militant group that has been fighting an insurgency in eastern Ethiopia since 2005, announced that it will end armed resistance against the government, thanks to Abiy’s reforms.