The new head of government speaks to his followers, as a grenade is thrown. The reform policy that Abiy Ahmed stands for has seemingly dangerous opponents. There were at least one dead and over 150 injured.

At least one person was killed in an explosion during a rally by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Health Minister Amir Aman said. At least 154 people suffered injuries. The prime minister spoke of a “well-orchestrated attack”.

The bomb had detonated when the 41-year-old had just finished his speech in Addis Ababa. He himself remained unscathed. The act was an unsuccessful attempt by those forces who did not want Ethiopia united, Abiy said. An eyewitness reported that the attacker had been overwhelmed by police officers. In the evening, according to state media, nine police officers were arrested.

“Hatred in the heart”

Chief of Staff Fitsum Arega wrote in the short message service Twitter, assassins with “hatred in the heart” had committed an attack with a grenade. Who they were, he did not say.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the capital – as in other parts of the country – to support the prime minister. It was his first public appearance in the capital since taking office in April. After the explosion, numerous counter-demonstrators stormed the scene of the rally and chanted anti-government slogans. Journalists were pelted with stones.

Since taking office in April, Abiyi has initiated several reforms. He announced the release of hundreds of prisoners held for political reasons, sought dialogue with the opposition and launched peace talks with long-time rival Eritrea.

Offensive for press freedom

It was not until Friday, the government claims to have lifted the blocking of more than 260 websites, blogs, and TV channels. Abiy had promised to guarantee press freedom when he took office.

In addition, the Prime Minister announced that he would fully implement the peace agreement signed in 2000 with Eritrea. The then agreed demarcation between the two neighbors was always controversial. Even after the end of the war, armed armies stood against the dividing line. According to the agreement, Ethiopia is to hand over the border town of Badme to Eritrea. On the other hand, living there former soldiers and members of the Tigray people fight back.

Parliament without opposition

Observers believe that the attack is related to Abiyy’s reform policy. It is speculated that it could involve military and security forces that see their interests jeopardized by the new line. So far, however, there is no evidence for this. Meanwhile, in addition to Eritrea, the EU and US condemned the attack.

Ethiopia, which has around 100 million inhabitants, was ruled for a long time with a hard hand. The opposition is not represented in the parliament. Despite the rapid economic growth, the state of the Horn of Africa is still one of the poorest countries in the world, according to UN statistics.