Ethiopia army chief, local leader killed amid regional coup bid

Ethiopia's army chief and a top local leader have been shot dead, amid an attempt to overthrow a regional government in northern Ethiopia, underscoring political instability in the country as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tries to push through reforms.

The latest unrest in the Horn of Africa nation flared on Saturday afternoon in Amhara, one of nine autonomous regions, when a "hit squad" attacked a meeting of top officials, Abiy's office said Sunday.

Spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told journalists the Amhara "coup attempt" was led by local security chief Asaminew Tsige, and resulted in state president Ambachew Mekonnen and his adviser being shot.

The men were "gravely injured in the attack and later died of their wounds," she said, adding that the regional attorney general had been seriously wounded.

"Several hours later in what seems like a coordinated attack, the chief of the staff of the national security forces Seare Mekonnen was killed in his home by his bodyguard" in the capital, she added.

Seare and a visiting retired general were shot dead in his home in the upmarket Bole district of Addis Ababa, home to diplomats, aid workers, and expats.

The bodyguard has been apprehended while Asaminew is still on the loose, sources said.

According to the statement from Abiy's office, the situation in Amhara region is "currently under full control by the federal government in collaboration with the regional government."

SS