http://www.voanews.com/a/ethiopia-cabinet-reshuffle-state-of-emergency/3574532.html
Ethiopia Appoints 21 New Ministers Amid State of Emergency
November 01, 2016 11:05 AM
Salem Solomon
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FILE - Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is seen in his
office in the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 17, 2016.
Announcing the reshuffle, Desalegn said the new ministers were picked
for competence and commitment rather than “party loyalty."
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has announced a Cabinet
reshuffle, following months of often-violent protests which led the
government to declare a state of emergency.
Ethiopia’s parliament has unanimously approved 21 new appointees, the
prime minister said Tuesday. He said the new ministers were picked for
competence and commitment rather than “party loyalty."
The appointees include a new minister of foreign affairs, Workneh
Gebeyehu, who replaces Tedros Adhanom, a former health minister who
has been one of Ethiopia’s most recognizable public figures in recent
years. Adhanom is currently a candidate vying to be the next World
Health Organization’s chief.
Communications Minister and government spokesman Getachew Reda was
ousted and replaced by Negeri Lencho, the head of the journalism and
communications college at Addis Ababa University.
Both Gebeyehu and Lencho are members of the Oromo, the main ethnic
group behind the protests of the past year, and replace members of the
Tigrayan ethnic group.
FILE - Security forces work to contain demonstrators at an
anti-government rally in Bishoftu town, Oromia region, Ethiopia, Oct.
2, 2016. Initially triggered by land issues, the protests have shifted
to include human rights and political power.
“There has to be change,” new government spokesperson Lencho told the
AFP news agency. “This new Cabinet is ready to respond and provide
better service.”
Former spokesman Reda has been the government's most visible official
during the course of the year, and was regarded as the main voice for
the ruling party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic
Front (EPRDF).
However, his rhetoric has been seen as downplaying the plight of the
protestors in public forums. Reda spoke to VOA's Daybreak Africa last
week saying that the state of emergency has turned things around and
that “obviously, the country is back to normalcy.”
Nine officials kept their previous posts in the Cabinet reshuffle,
including Defense Minister Sirah Fegessa and the prime minister's
deputy, Demeke Mekonnen.
The anti-government protests, initially triggered by land issues, have
spread from the Oromia region to the Amhara region. According to Human
Rights Watch, more than 500 people have died in clashes with police
and security forces.
The protesters have now shifted their calls to issues of human rights
and political power. The ruling party is widely seen as dominated by
leaders from the Tigrayan ethnic group. In 2015, the EPRDF won every
seat in the country’s parliament.
Salem Solomon
Salem Solomon is a journalist and web producer at Voice of America’s
Africa Division, where she reports in English, Amharic and Tigrigna.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Poynter.org, Reuters and
The Tampa Bay Times. Salem researches trends in analytics and digital
journalism, and her data-driven work has been featured in VOA’s
special projects
Received on Tue Nov 01 2016 - 16:18:31 EDT