Ethiopia

Ethiopian spy chief Temesgen Tiruneh approved as new Deputy Prime Minister

Ethiopia's intelligence chief Temesgen Tiruneh. He has been approved as the new Deputy Prime Minister. (Photo: X/Tiruneh Dinku)

By Foreign Reporter | Thursday, February 8, 2024

Parliament also approved the nomination of Taye Atske Selassie as the new Foreign Affairs minister.

Ethiopia’s parliament endorsed the appointment of intelligence chief Temesgen Tiruneh as the new deputy prime minister, succeeding Demeke Mekonnen, who resigned last week.

Demeke had served in that position for 11 years, according to state-run media.

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In addition, parliament also approved the nomination of Taye Atske Selassie, a former foreign policy advisor to the Ethiopian Prime Minister, who previously represented the country as its envoy to the United Nations in New York, as the new foreign affairs minister.

Demeke had also served as foreign minister since 2020.

The ex-spy chief, who coordinated Addis Ababa’s response to a conflict that broke out last year in the Amhara region, was elected in late January to succeed Demeke as a vice-president of the ruling Prosperity party.

The deputy leader of the party typically serves as the Deputy Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Demeke as foreign minister days after civil war broke out in November 2020 in the northern Tigray region.

The conflict, which lasted two years, killed tens of thousands of people.

Mekdes Daba, a former World Health Organisation official, has also been appointed to replace Lia Tadesse as health minister, the Ethiopian parliament said.