The head of the ruling Prosperity Party in Ethiopia’s Amhara region has been shot dead, along with his security detail, the authorities have said.
Girma Yeshitla was returning from an official trip when he was ambushed some 250km (155 miles) north of the capital Addis Ababa, according to a statement released by the region’s communications office.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called the killing “shameful and horrible” and blamed it on unnamed “violent extremists” who he said chose to settle differences through guns rather than dialogue .
The killing came weeks after the federal government announced the dissolution of a paramilitary force which had triggered widespread protests and violence in Amhara.
Mr Girma faced strong criticism from opponents of the force’s dissolution, who saw him as one of the faces behind the move.
The killing of senior politicians is not new in Amhara. In 2019, the regional leader and other top officials were killed in what was described as a failed regional coup attempt.