Ethiopia's Abiy sends cabinet ministers to military training camp

Ethiopia's prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has put his cabinet ministers and other senior officials through military training, posting photographs of himself taking part in exercises alongside them.

The pictures, shared on his social media accounts, show Abiy with ministers, deputy ministers and heads of government institutions at the Hurso military training centre. Those taking part include Muferiat Kamil, speaker of the House of Federation, parliament's upper chamber, Finance Minister Fitsum Assefa and Health Minister Mekdes Daba.

The BBC reported that it was not clear when the training began or how long it would last. Senior civilian officials in Ethiopia are rarely seen in military training, which makes the move unusual for the country.

In his post, Abiy said Ethiopia's ambition of universal prosperity required its leadership to be physically fit, morally strong and intellectually capable. Military institutions, he said, offer lessons in discipline, patriotism, teamwork, accountability and leadership.

"Soldiers have targets while civilians have goals. The objective of both is victory," he said, according to the BBC, adding that combining military and civilian disciplines would help form a generation able to meet both kinds of objective.

The training comes as Ethiopian forces face continued fighting in parts of the northern Tigray region, conflict in Amhara and insecurity in Oromia, the BBC reported. It also takes place amid heightened tension with neighbouring Eritrea, with concern over the possibility of renewed war between the two countries.

Abiy has previously presented military preparedness and national development as central to his government's programme.

Ethiopia's federal government and forces from Tigray fought a two-year war that ended with a November 2022 agreement signed in Pretoria, and the peace deal has been strained by disputes over territory and the return of displaced people. Amhara has seen sustained fighting involving Fano militias, and Oromia has faced a long-running insurgency.

The training centre at Hurso is used by Ethiopia's defence forces. The BBC did not say which units ran the course or whether the officials would receive further training.

Abiy's post did not address the security situation in the regions or the dispute with Eritrea, and no government statement set out a schedule for the programme.