It was also the rationale for his previous policy of arming and financing opposition groups to the former ruling party the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front such as Patriotic Ginbot 7 headed by Minister of Education Berhanu Nega and Andagatchew Tsigie...

The Minister of Education is Berhanu Nega former head of the exiled anti-Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) Ginbot7 which was armed and supported by Eritrean President Issayas Afewerki to oppose the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF)...

EZEMA is a coalition of Patriotic Ginbot 7 (PG7) the Ethiopian Democratic Party All Ethiopian Democratic Party the Semayawi Party (Blue) the Gambella Regional Movement and former leaders of Unity for Democracy and Justice organised by Berhanu Nega and PG7...

Opposition Amhara parties like the Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (EZEMA) led by Berhanu Nega have strongly supported the operations in Tigray (AC Vol 60 No 1 Fighting fear with freedom)...

Ezema a liberal pan-Ethiopian grouping whose leader Berhanu Nega is seen as close to Abiy said recently that it has proof the government has been forcing business-people to make contributions to the PP which is also accused of using state funds for its own purposes...

Still in early September an opposition council threatened to boycott the election if the law is not revised – although the group didn't contain major players like the recently formed National Movement of Amhara the legalised Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) or ex-Addis Ababa mayor-elect Berhanu Nega's new anti-ethnic politics party Ethiopia Citizens for Social Justice known as Ezema which partly evolved from Birtukan's former party...

Although Birtukan's former ally Berhanu Nega of the Ginbot 7 opposition group which was until recently officially 'terrorist' is calling for elections to be postponed Abiy seems keen to hold them as scheduled...

First came Ginbot 7 and its leader Berhanu Nega former mayor-elect of Addis Ababa an economics professor and part-time rebel (AC Vol 51 No 8 Looking for a landslide)...

Ginbot 7 is headed by Berhanu Nega who was elected Mayor of Addis Ababa in 2005 before being gaoled after post-election turmoil...