Ethiopian Prime Minister Sends Cabinet to Boot Camp
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has enlisted his ministers in military drills, citing discipline as a catalyst for national development.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed posted photos of himself alongside cabinet members and senior officials taking part in exercises at the Hurso military training centre.
The participants, according to the images, included Speaker of the House of Federation Muferiat Kamil, Finance Minister Fitsum Assefa and Health Minister Mekdes Daba. No details were given about when the training started or how long it will continue.
In his social‑media caption, Abiy said the nation’s quest for “universal prosperity” demands leaders who are “physically fit, morally strong and intellectually capable.” He added that military institutions teach “discipline, patriotism, teamwork, accountability and leadership.”
“Soldiers have targets while civilians have goals. The objective of both is victory,” he wrote, suggesting that blending military and civilian disciplines could produce a generation able to achieve both.
The drill comes as Ethiopia grapples with multiple security challenges: lingering fighting in parts of the northern Tigray region, conflict in Amhara, insecurity in Oromia, and heightened tensions with neighbouring Eritrea that raise fears of renewed hostilities.
Abiy has previously highlighted military preparedness and national development as pillars of his government’s agenda, making this public display of cabinet‑level training a notable, if unconventional, extension of that stance.
