Ongoing reforms in Ethiopia will take center stage at the ruling coalition congress which starts on Wednesday. The gathering of more than 1,000 party officials is likely to re-elect Abiy as chairman in what would be effectively a vote of confidence in his leadership. After three years of unrest, the coalition appointed him, a member of the Oromo ethnic group whose youth had risen up against the state demanding reforms, seeking to draw a line under the past. It has not held a congress since 2015 due to the unrest that eventually forced the resignation of Abiy’s predecessor early this year. Though the approach drew praise inside Ethiopia and abroad, Abiy’s rhetoric is beginning to ring hollow in some parts of the country due to the rising violence.

Source: Ethiopian News October 03, 2018 00:56 UTC