One killed in an assassination plot targeting middle ranking officials in the military and other security forces.
The incident happened in Ambo town about 125KM west of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
According to eyewitnesses, the victim named Darge Nuguse was gunned down by unknown gunmen in the early hours of the evening of March 23.
According to these reports, the victim was an officer in his late thirties serving under the special military unit stationed in the town.
The unit was deployed in May 2014 after widespread protests against the Addis Ababa-Oromia integrated master plan. During the protests, although no official enquiry was ever conducted, 70 students were shot dead by this military unit. This military unit is largely controlled and operated by the Tigrean ethnic group.
The victim belongs to the Tigrean ethnic minority. Despite their small number, the Tigreans have always controlled the military thereby the political power in this 90 million nation since the downfall of the military junta in 1991 amid increasing rebellion and resentment against them. Ambo town is among the most active flashpoint.
No one has claimed responsibility for the assassination of the military officer. However, according to social media reports, the victim was killed for his role in the May 2014 massacre in the town. Many believe he was targeted for the assassination because he killed more than 10 students during the riot.
Another officer was also gunned down in the northern town of Gonder by unknown gunmen. Apart from a possible vengeance motive, these two assassinations are not related.
Power and electricity has been cut in Ambo town and search is under way to locate those who assassinated the victim. The regime is blamed to be using such search operetions to intimidate and harass citizens. However, this is unlikely to terrorise the people of Ambo who have developed an immense resilience against dictatorship under the minority regime of Ethiopia.
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