Suspected Mastermind of Attempted Coup, Assassination of Officials Killed: Police

Addis Ababa June 24/2019  Brigadier General Asaminew Tsige, who is suspected of orchestrating the failed coup attempt on Amhara regional state, and assassination of regional and federal officials, was killed. 


Asaminew was shot and killed at a place called Zenzelima around the city of Bahir Dar, the Amhara regional state police said.

Police suspected the Brigadier General for orchestrating and leading the coup and attacks on the top leadership of the regional state and Defense Forces.

A series of attacks were carried out last Saturday in Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa, which the government claims to be orchestrated by Asaminew.

The attacks that the government said was intended to make a coup on the Amhara regional state, left high level officials of the regional state and defense force dead.

The attack carried out in Bahir Dar took the lives of the regional chief administrator Dr Ambachew Mekonen and his advisor Ezez Wase, immediately.

Migbaru Mekonen, the regional Attorney General, who was seriously wounded in the attack, has passed away today. He was taking treatment in the Black Lion hospital following the attack.

The top leadership of the regional state was on a meeting when they were attacked by a group suspected of to be led by Brigadier General Assaminew.

After a few hours of the attack in Bahir Dar, Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces, General Seare Mekonen and his friend, a retired member of the defense forces, were killed in Addis Ababa. The Chief of Staff was killed at his house.

The government said both attacks are related and carried out in an orchestrated manner. Brigadeir General Asaminew Tsige, who was among thousands of prisoners released on amnesty following the sweeping reforms, has been the head of the regional security