Quick Facts
Biography
Se'are Mekonnen (Ge'ez: ሰዐረ መኮንን; c. 1954 – 22 June 2019) was an Ethiopian army officer. He was the Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force from 7 June 2018 until he was assassinated on 22 June 2019.
Biography
A veteran of the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front during the Ethiopian Civil War, Se'are served as head of the Army's Northern Command and of the Armed Forces’ joint education and training department. He was appointed to the top post in the armed forces in 2018 by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, succeeding Samora Yunis.
Despite his partisan origins in the TPLF, Se'are was a strong advocate for the professionalization and ethnic and political neutrality of the armed forces during his tenure as military chief, remarking in 2018 that "Ethnicity, a potent force for destruction, must be discarded as it is obstacle and an obstacle to building a modern army".
Se'are was killed on 22 June 2019 while responding to a coup attempt in the Amhara region along with his aide, Major General (retired) Gizae Aberra.
The government issued conflicting reports regarding the bodyguard who assassinated the general. Initial reports indicated that the suspect was arrested. However, police later said the suspect had committed suicide in order to avoid arrest.