Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy Replaces Army Chief

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has replaced his army chief amid a five-day-old conflict in the country’s northern Tigray region.

A statement from Abiy’s office son Sunday said Deputy army chief Berhanu Jula would take over the Ethiopian National Defence Force even as reports of wounded soldiers continued to rise.

The announcement did not give a reason for the move nor did it specify the fate of Berhanu’s predecessor, General Adem Mohammed.

News reports say nearly 100 government soldiers had been treated for gunshot wounds at a hospital in the northern Amhara region, the latest indication that fighting has been intense.

It said there were no fatalities at the hospital, but noted more serious cases have been transported to larger hospitals in the city of Gondar and elsewhere.

Abiy and military leaders have touted Ethiopian soldiers’ successes against forces loyal to the Tigray ruling party, but a communications blackout in the region has made their accounts difficult to verify.