Qualla: 2018 Ethiopian Rally Grenade Attack

2018 Ethiopian Rally Grenade Attack: Introduction

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Seventeen meters. That was the distance between the grenade blast and the stage where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had just finished speaking. On June 23, 2018, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians had gathered in Meskel Square in the heart of Addis Ababa to celebrate the political reforms sweeping the country under its new leader. Abiy had been in office barely three months, promising reconciliation after years of authoritarian rule. The rally was a display of hope on a scale the capital had rarely seen. Then the explosion cut through the crowd, killing two people and injuring more than 150 others. The prime minister was unhurt, whisked away by security personnel moments after finishing his speech. But the attack shattered any illusion that Ethiopia's political transformation would be smooth.

2018 Ethiopian Rally Grenade Attack: A Country Holding Its Breath

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Abiy Ahmed's rise to power in April 2018 was itself a rupture in Ethiopian politics. For nearly three decades, the Tigray People's Liberation Front had dominated the ruling coalition. Abiy, an ethnic Oromo, became the first leader from Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, and he move...

2018 Ethiopian Rally Grenade Attack: The Blast at Meskel Square

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The attack unfolded with unsettling precision. According to local media reports, the assailant disguised himself in a police uniform and moved through the security perimeter undetected. He attempted to throw the grenade toward the stage just after Abiy finished speaking and sat d...

2018 Ethiopian Rally Grenade Attack: Defiance on State Television

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Abiy Ahmed appeared on state television the same day, visibly shaken but resolute. He described the attack as "an unsuccessful attempt by forces who do not want to see Ethiopia united," and addressed the perpetrators directly: "You weren't successful in the past and you won't be ...

2018 Ethiopian Rally Grenade Attack: The Prosecutions and Their Meaning

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

On September 28, 2018, national prosecutors charged five suspects: Getu Girma, Birhanu Jafar, Tilahun Getachew, Bahiru Tollosa, and Desalegn Teafaye. The prosecutors revealed a political motive: the accused believed Abiy would not protect Oromo interests and wanted the Oromo Libe...