Tension reported inside Ethiopian Air Force in Debre Zeyit

By Samuel Fikreselasie | Abbay Media News

Tension has been reported inside the Ethiopian Air Force located in Debre Zeyit, about an hour drive from Addis Ababa. The tense situation resulted from the government measure that replaced Ethiopian pilots by other expatriate jet pilots from Eastern Europe. More than 40 members of the Air Force have submitted their resignation letters. The Ethiopian pilots’ contract is not yet due for renewal until July 2017.

As sources reported, in the past three weeks unspecified numbers members of the air force have disappeared. Four Amhara and seven Oromo pilots are fallen into the hands of the government security apparatus while trying to evade capture, sources report. Among the detained pilots one has been missing and his family have not been able to find him in prison.

The minority ethnic regime’s control of the military hierarchy, ethnic based discrimination and repression within the air force are the main causes of the dissatisfaction. As sources say these waves of defections are results of the Ethiopian Air Force’s reliance on ethnic based policies and coercion to continue its grip on power.

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