Ethiopia's prime minister sends ministers to military training

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said that members of his government are undergoing military training, and published photographs. The images show, among others, Speaker of the House of the Federation Muferiat Kamil, Finance Minister Fitsum Assefa and Health Minister Mekdes Daba. It is unclear when the training began or how long it will last, BBC notes.

How the prime minister explained the decision

According to Ahmed, Ethiopia's shared prosperity requires its leadership to be physically fit, morally strong and intellectually capable. Military institutions, he added, teach valuable lessons in discipline, patriotism, teamwork, responsibility and leadership. “Soldiers have goals, civilians have intentions. The goal of both is victory,” the prime minister wrote.

The backdrop

Ethiopia is currently facing several security threats at once. Chief among them is the ongoing fighting with separatists in Tigray in the north of the country. The conflict has also heightened tension between the Ethiopian government and neighboring Eritrea, raising fears that the two countries could be drawn into open war.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz