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"\nThe suspected ringleader of Saturday's failed coup attempt in Ethiopia's Amhara region has been shot dead by police, state media report.\n\n\n\nBrig-Gen\nAsaminew Tsige was killed on the outskirts of Amhara's capital, Bahir Dar, the\nreports added.\n\n\n\nEthiopia's\narmy chief Gen Seare Mekonnen was killed while trying to foil the coup, the\ngovernment said.\n\n\n\nPrime\nMinister Abiy Ahmed has urged Ethiopians to unite against \"evil\"\nforces set on dividing the country.\n\n\n\nFlags are\nflying at half-mast after he declared a day of mourning to mark the deaths of\nloyalists.\n\n\n\nGen Seare and\nAmhara governor Ambachew Mekonnen, who was also killed on Saturday, were seen\nas close allies of the prime minister.\n\n\n\nA heavy\ncontingent of pro-government forces has been deployed in Bahir Dar and the\nfederal capital, Addis Ababa.\n\n\n\nThe internet\nhas been shut across the country, days after services resumed following an\nunexplained blackout of more than a week.\n\n\n\nThe US state\ndepartment has warned its staff in Addis Ababa to stay inside.\n\n\n\nEthnic\nviolence has hit Amhara and other parts of Ethiopia in recent years.\n\n\n\nSince his\nelection last year, Mr Abiy has transformed Ethiopia.\n\n\n\nHe has moved\nto end political repression by releasing political prisoners, removed bans on\nopposition political parties, overseen the prosecution of officials accused of\nhuman rights abuses and also restored diplomatic relations with Ethiopia's\nlong-time enemy, Eritrea.\n\n\n\nMr Abiy survived a grenade attack at a rally a year ago on Sunday, which killed two people and left more than 100 injured.\n\n\n\nAfrica's\noldest independent country, Ethiopia is also the continent's second most\npopulous after Nigeria, with 102.5 million inhabitants from more than 80\ndifferent ethnic groups.\n\n\n\nA transfer\nhub for long-haul air travel, it has one of the fastest-growing economies in\nthe world, but a vast number of young Ethiopians are without work.\n\n\n\nBrig-Gen\nAsaminew was Amhara's regional security chief. He was among a group of\nhigh-ranking military officers released from prison early last year when the\nprevious government moved to free political detainees in response to public\npressure.\n\n\n\nThe general\nhad been in custody for nine years for allegedly plotting a coup.\n\n\n\nAccording to\nReuters news agency, Amhara's top officials had convened a meeting on Saturday\nto discuss attempts by the general to recruit ethnic militias.\n\n\n\nBrig-Gen Asaminew openly advised the Amhara people this month to arm themselves, in a video posted on social media. -BBC\n"
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