SEVERAL people were killed today in a blast at new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s first rally in the capital, attended by tens of thousands of people, reported state media.

He had just wrapped up his speech in the heart of Addis Ababa when the explosion went off, sending panicked crowds towards the stage as the prime minister left hurriedly, apparently safe and sound.

“All the casualties are martyrs of love and peace,” he was quoted as saying by the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate.

The cause of the blast is unknown, and further details on the casualties are not immediately available.

It was Ahmed’s first public speech in the capital since he took office in April, although he has made several in provincial areas.

In the past three months, he has made major changes in Ethiopia, including shaking up the security services, releasing jailed dissidents, and moving to liberalise the economy and resolve a two-decade conflict with arch-enemy Eritrea.

“Ethiopia will be on top again, and the foundations will be love, unity and inclusivity,” he declared today.

After the blast, dozens of people stormed the stage, hurling various objects at police, shouting “Woyane down, down” and “Woyane thief”, using a pejorative term for the government, said an AFP correspondent.

Ahmed succeeds Hailemariam Desalegn, who resigned in February amid a wave of anti-government protests led by the country’s two largest ethnicities, which started in late 2015 and left hundreds of people dead.

His actions since taking office represent dramatic shifts in the power balance within Africa’s second-most populous country.

But, it remains unclear how deep Ahmed’s support runs within the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front for carrying out the reforms. – AFP, June 23, 2018.