06-23-2018, 10:55 PM
*** 24-Jun-18 World View -- Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmediat escapes grenade attack at massive rally
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmediat escapes grenade attack at massive rally
****
![[Image: g180623b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g180623b.jpg)
Abiy Ahmediat (L) was just finishing speaking to a massive audience ® when the grenade explosion occurred (Guardian)
Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmediat barely escaped a grenade
attack, just after finishing a speech deliver to tens of thousands of
supporters in the capital city Addis Ababa. One of the people at the
rally threw the grenade at Abiy, but missed the target.
According to one report, Abiy was saved because another participant in
the audience touched the hand of the person throwing the grenade,
causing it to fall without reaching the stage.
At least one person died from the explosion, and 155 people were
injured, including nine in critical condition.
Abiy was selected to take office in April in order to end growing
massive street protests by the Oromo tribe, protesting marginalization
inflicted by the governing Tigrays. The Tigrays have been in power
for 27 years, but comprise only 6% of the population. The Oromos, who
comprise 34% of the population, have suffered discrimination and
marginalization.
Mass anti-government protests began in Ethiopia in 2015, beginning in
the Oromia region, and then spread to other parts of Ethiopia,
especially the Amhara region. The Amharas comprise another 27% of the
population, and they joined the protests demanding an end to human
rights abuses as well political reforms and greater freedoms. In the
government crackdown, hundreds of people were killed, and more than
20,000 others were arrested.
By February of this year, the growing protests seemed to be
overwhelming, and prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn abruptly
resigned, citing ongoing "unrest and a political crisis." The
dominant Tigrays took the desperate step of replacing Hailemariam with
the Oromo leader Abiy Ahmediat, 42, in the hope of ending the chaos
and bloodshed.
BBC and Reuters and AP
****
**** New Ethiopia reforms face opposition by hardliners
****
Since being inaugurated, Abiy has been extremely aggressive in
implementing a number of reforms, including the following:
Six people have been arrested following Saturday's grenade
attack, but no motive has been identified.
According to Ryan Cummings, a South Africa based security analyst:
<QUOTE>"The grenade attack in Addis may be well linked to
hardliners who do not want to see dialogue and conciliation with
Eritrea. However, it may also be in response to perceived Tigrayan
marginalization and/or dissent within the military. Either way, it
shows that the reforms are not window dressing."<END QUOTE>
Any of the reforms listed above might have infuriated some people,
especially ethnic Tigrays, who have been in power for 27 years,
but are only 6% of the population. For example, replacing key
generals would have struck at the heart of the army's control
of the population. The economic liberalization, including
selling off state-owned assets, could have cost Tigray executives
a great deal of money, and led to violent retaliation.
The deal with Eritrea could be particularly troubling, since
it calls for an exchange of regions of land. These regions are
small compared to the sizes of the two countries, but they're
densely populated. This means that many people living
in Eritrea will suddenly be living in Ethiopia, and vice-versa.
This has many implications -- changing tax collections and
administrative rules, and splitting families and neighbors,
for example.
As I described in my 2016 Generational history of Ethiopia and Eritrea
, Ethiopia is a
Christian country, and Eritrea is a Muslim countries. Eritrea was an
Italian colony in the 1800s, and both were in the late 1930s as
"Italian East Africa." Eritrea declared independence from Ethiopia in
1993, leading to the 1998-2000 border war, which led to the peace
agreement that is now being considered for implementation. From the
point of view of Generational Dynamics, Ethiopia is in a generational
Awakening era, like America and Europe in the 1960s, or like Iran
today, when mass protests are a frequent feature. Mass protests can
end temporarily, or cab be suppressed by violence from the security
forces, but they return.
The appointment of Oromo leader Abiy Ahmediat has put an end to the
massive protests by Oromos, but even with an Oromo leader, protests by
Oromos will return.
Abiy vows that the reforms will continue, despite Saturday's
explosion. Guardian (London) and Al-Jazeera and Addis (Ababa) Standard and Committee to Protect Journalists
Related Articles:
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmediat,
Oromos, Tigrays, Amharas, Hailemariam Desalegn,
Eritrea, Ryan Cummings, Italy
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmediat escapes grenade attack at massive rally
- New Ethiopia reforms face opposition by hardliners
****
**** Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmediat escapes grenade attack at massive rally
****
Abiy Ahmediat (L) was just finishing speaking to a massive audience ® when the grenade explosion occurred (Guardian)
Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmediat barely escaped a grenade
attack, just after finishing a speech deliver to tens of thousands of
supporters in the capital city Addis Ababa. One of the people at the
rally threw the grenade at Abiy, but missed the target.
According to one report, Abiy was saved because another participant in
the audience touched the hand of the person throwing the grenade,
causing it to fall without reaching the stage.
At least one person died from the explosion, and 155 people were
injured, including nine in critical condition.
Abiy was selected to take office in April in order to end growing
massive street protests by the Oromo tribe, protesting marginalization
inflicted by the governing Tigrays. The Tigrays have been in power
for 27 years, but comprise only 6% of the population. The Oromos, who
comprise 34% of the population, have suffered discrimination and
marginalization.
Mass anti-government protests began in Ethiopia in 2015, beginning in
the Oromia region, and then spread to other parts of Ethiopia,
especially the Amhara region. The Amharas comprise another 27% of the
population, and they joined the protests demanding an end to human
rights abuses as well political reforms and greater freedoms. In the
government crackdown, hundreds of people were killed, and more than
20,000 others were arrested.
By February of this year, the growing protests seemed to be
overwhelming, and prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn abruptly
resigned, citing ongoing "unrest and a political crisis." The
dominant Tigrays took the desperate step of replacing Hailemariam with
the Oromo leader Abiy Ahmediat, 42, in the hope of ending the chaos
and bloodshed.
BBC and Reuters and AP
****
**** New Ethiopia reforms face opposition by hardliners
****
Since being inaugurated, Abiy has been extremely aggressive in
implementing a number of reforms, including the following:
- Abiy announced the release of tens of thousands of prisoners,
including many Oromos who had been jailed for peaceful anti-government
demonstrations. In the time since Abiy took office, over 1,000 have
already been released.
- He's replaced key generals in the army, in order to dampen ethnic
tensions.
- He unblocked hundreds of websites and TV channels, including many
that particularly targeted Oromos.
- He promised to liberalize the economy, including the opening of
state-owned companies to private investment.
- Possibly most stunning, Abiy accepted a peace deal with the ancient enemy Eritrea
that had been
signed in 2000 after a two-year war, but had never been
implemented.
Six people have been arrested following Saturday's grenade
attack, but no motive has been identified.
According to Ryan Cummings, a South Africa based security analyst:
<QUOTE>"The grenade attack in Addis may be well linked to
hardliners who do not want to see dialogue and conciliation with
Eritrea. However, it may also be in response to perceived Tigrayan
marginalization and/or dissent within the military. Either way, it
shows that the reforms are not window dressing."<END QUOTE>
Any of the reforms listed above might have infuriated some people,
especially ethnic Tigrays, who have been in power for 27 years,
but are only 6% of the population. For example, replacing key
generals would have struck at the heart of the army's control
of the population. The economic liberalization, including
selling off state-owned assets, could have cost Tigray executives
a great deal of money, and led to violent retaliation.
The deal with Eritrea could be particularly troubling, since
it calls for an exchange of regions of land. These regions are
small compared to the sizes of the two countries, but they're
densely populated. This means that many people living
in Eritrea will suddenly be living in Ethiopia, and vice-versa.
This has many implications -- changing tax collections and
administrative rules, and splitting families and neighbors,
for example.
As I described in my 2016 Generational history of Ethiopia and Eritrea
, Ethiopia is a
Christian country, and Eritrea is a Muslim countries. Eritrea was an
Italian colony in the 1800s, and both were in the late 1930s as
"Italian East Africa." Eritrea declared independence from Ethiopia in
1993, leading to the 1998-2000 border war, which led to the peace
agreement that is now being considered for implementation. From the
point of view of Generational Dynamics, Ethiopia is in a generational
Awakening era, like America and Europe in the 1960s, or like Iran
today, when mass protests are a frequent feature. Mass protests can
end temporarily, or cab be suppressed by violence from the security
forces, but they return.
The appointment of Oromo leader Abiy Ahmediat has put an end to the
massive protests by Oromos, but even with an Oromo leader, protests by
Oromos will return.
Abiy vows that the reforms will continue, despite Saturday's
explosion. Guardian (London) and Al-Jazeera and Addis (Ababa) Standard and Committee to Protect Journalists
Related Articles:
- In a surprise, Ethiopia accepts peace deal with Eritrea (06-Jun-2018)
- Ethiopia chooses an Oromo leader, as Kenya has farcical confrontation with the courts (30-Mar-2018)
- Thousands of Ethiopian Oromos flee into Kenya, threatening regional stability (15-Mar-2018)
- Ethiopia declares state of emergency after shock resignation of prime minister (17-Feb-2018)
- Ethiopia declares extraordinary six-month state of emergency (10-Oct-2016)
- Heavy fighting along Eritrea-Ethiopia border raises fears of war (14-Jun-2016)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmediat,
Oromos, Tigrays, Amharas, Hailemariam Desalegn,
Eritrea, Ryan Cummings, Italy
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
