- Abiy was angry the soldiers protesting over pay rise had entered his courts with weapons
- He ordered them to do ten press-ups and joined in the push-ups session
-The protesting soldiers smiled as they did the press ups with their Commander in Chief
- They had began protesting on Wednesday, October 10, igniting tension among citizens
- The soldiers were later allowed in the prime minister's residence ground but Abiy was precise the country had shortage of resources and could not pay everyone as they desired
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed surprised the world when he ordered protesting soldiers who had marched to the field outside his office to do press-ups on Thursday, October 11.
Ahmed who came to power in April 2018 following three years of protest in the country surprised the soldiers demanding for a pay hike after joining them in doing the 10 push-ups 'punishment'.
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Abiy Ahmed doing press-ups with a group of protesting soldiers who had milled outside his office igniting tension. Photo: BBC
Source: UGC
A report by the BBC seen by NAIJ.com on Thursday, October 11, stats that Abiy was dismayed by the soldiers go slow tendencies and protest to his office in Addis Ababa.
He wondered why they had carried weapons in their protests and ordered them to do 10 press-ups before they could engage in any discussion.
The incident had sent shock waves among Ethiopian nationals as it was followed with the closure of roads in the area around the prime minister's office alongside internet shutdown.
Sources privy to the happenings said things cooled off unusually fast as Abiy and the soldiers did the press-ups with beaming faces insinuating the tension had been diffused.
Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who ascended to power in April, 2018 told the soldiers it was 'bad manners' to enter his premises with weapons. Photo: Ethiopia Online
Source: UGC
A former senior military officer said the soldiers' demand was genuine but the protest's approach breached forces' discipline.
"It would be difficult to assume the protest was spontaneous. There could be a group behind it. The action exposed weakness of the military intelligence or unwillingness to serve new commander in chief," he said.
Abiy later addressed the soldiers saying he would try his best to address the pay rise demand but was firm the country had limited resources and even civil servants had to survive with low salaries.
"We have to use the money for development purposes. We can pay everyone higher salaries but we will end up [with] no development," Abiy said according to a statement.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that the (former) prime minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, tendered his resignation letter after series of anti-government protests in the country.
The former prime minister said he tried his utmost effort to solve the crisis in his country and he was resigning to be part of a solution to it.
Ethiopia had been rocked by months of protests demanding wider freedoms that left hundreds dead and tens of thousands detained.
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Source: Naija.ng