Ethiopia Army Chief Shot Dead in 'Coup bid' Attacks

Ethiopia's army chief was shot dead by his bodyguard just hours after an attempted coup by an army general in the northern state of Amhara, state television said today.

The shooting occurred when federal officials were meeting the state president, an ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to discuss how to rein in the open recruitment of ethnic militias.

Meanwhile, Ahmed appeared on television today, dressed in military fatigue, as the government reported it had thwarted an attempted coup in a regional state.

 former Ethiopia's army chief

Ethiopia is due to hold a national parliamentary election next year. Several opposition groups have called for the polls to be held on time despite the unrest and displacement.

Ethiopia, a nation of 100 million people, is struggling to contain widespread ethnic violence that has displaced around 2.4 million people, according to the United Nations.