In a country where the line between civilian government and the armed forces has long been watched closely, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has chosen to bring his cabinet into the field. Photographs of ministers, deputies and institution heads drilling at the Hurso centre show a rare sight, and they carry an argument he has made openly: that a nation reaching for universal prosperity needs leaders who are disciplined, patient with purpose, and willing to be accountable. Set against fighting in Tigray, conflict in Amhara, insecurity in Oromia and strained relations with Eritrea, the momen
Ethiopian PM Abiy Puts Cabinet Ministers Through Military Training at Hurso Centre
Soldiers have targets while civilians have goals. The objective of both is victory.
Mark
Why is a photo of ministers doing drills news at all?
Mimi
Because senior civilians in Ethiopia are rarely seen doing this. Finance Minister Fitsum Assefa, Health Minister Mekdes Daba and Speaker Muferiat Kamil are all in the group at Hurso.
Mark
What does Abiy say it's for?
Mimi
Leadership. He says universal prosperity needs leaders who are physically fit, morally strong and intellectually capable, and he lists discipline, patriotism, teamwork, accountability.
Luke
That's his stated reason. Nothing in the reporting tells us whether there's another one.
Mark
And the timing?
Mimi
Fighting continues in parts of Tigray, there's conflict in Amhara, insecurity in Oromia, and tension with Eritrea has raised fears of renewed war.
Luke
Careful, though. The reporting places the training alongside those pressures. It doesn't say they caused it.
Mark
Do we know how long it runs?
Luke
No. Not when it started, not how long it lasts, and not whether others will follow.
Mimi
The photos come from Abiy's own social media, so what we see is what he chose to share.
Mark
So what do we watch?
Luke
Whether anything concrete follows, like wider participation or official explanation. Until then it's a signal, not a confirmed shift.
O Pulso
- Ministers who rarely see a training ground are now photographed in drills at Hurso, a sight that breaks with Ethiopia's usual civilian routine.
- Abiy's post frames soldiers' targets and civilians' goals as one shared path to victory, pressing his cabinet toward a harder, more uniform sense of duty.
- Fighting in Tigray, conflict in Amhara, insecurity in Oromia and high tension with Eritrea give the exercise a weight that goes well beyond classroom discipline.
- No start date or length has been disclosed, so observers are watching for signs that the drills will spread to other officials or signal a wider mobilisation.
In a country where the line between civilian government and the armed forces has long been watched closely, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has chosen to bring his cabinet into the field. Photographs of ministers, deputies and institution heads drilling at the Hurso centre show a rare sight, and they carry an argument he has made openly: that a nation reaching for universal prosperity needs leaders who are disciplined, patient with purpose, and willing to be accountable. Set against fighting in Tigray, conflict in Amhara, insecurity in Oromia and strained relations with Eritrea, the moment invites a larger question about what it means for civilian authority to take on the habits of the soldier. The duration and timing of the training remain unstated, leaving the meaning of the gesture still open.
Photographs posted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed show him at the Hurso military training centre, drilling alongside members of his cabinet. Deputy ministers and the heads of government institutions are there too, all taking part. For a country where senior civilian officials are rarely seen in military training, the images stand out. Among those pictured are Speaker of the House of Federation Muferiat Kamil, Finance Minister Fitsum Assefa and Health Minister Mekdes Daba.
In his accompanying message, Abiy argued that Ethiopia's ambition of universal prosperity requires leaders who are physically fit, morally strong and intellectually capable. He said the military has lessons to offer in discipline, patriotism, teamwork, accountability and leadership. He put the case simply: soldiers have targets, civilians have goals, and both aim at victory. Combining the two, he suggested, could produce a generation able to achieve both.
The exercise takes place at a tense time. Fighting continues in northern Tigray, conflict runs through Amhara, Oromia faces insecurity, and tensions with Eritrea are high, raising fears of renewed war. Abiy has long stressed military preparedness alongside development. The drills make that emphasis visible. What is not yet known is how long the training will last, whether it will extend to others, and whether it will be read as a sign of wider mobilisation.
Photographs posted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on social media show him doing military exercises at the Hurso military training centre, with members of his cabinet beside him. Also in the pictures are deputy ministers and the heads of government institutions, all taking part in the drills.
Senior civilian officials in Ethiopia are rarely seen going through military training, which makes the images unusual. Among those taking part are Muferiat Kamil, Speaker of the House of Federation, Finance Minister Fitsum Assefa and Health Minister Mekdes Daba. It is not clear when the training began or how long it is meant to continue.
In his accompanying post, Abiy set out his reasoning. Ethiopia's ambition of universal prosperity, he wrote, demands a leadership that is physically fit, morally strong and intellectually capable. He said military institutions have valuable lessons to teach about discipline, patriotism, teamwork, accountability and leadership.
He also offered a line that sums up his argument: soldiers have targets while civilians have goals, and the objective of both is victory. Combining the two disciplines, he said, would help produce a generation able to achieve both. In his view, military training can develop leaders with a firm sense of purpose and responsibility, and the ability to work together toward common objectives.
The exercise comes at a tense moment for the country. Fighting continues in parts of the northern Tigray region, there is conflict in Amhara, and Oromia is struggling with insecurity. Tensions with neighbouring Eritrea are also high, and there are concerns that the two countries could slide back into conflict.
Abiy has stressed military preparedness before, alongside national development, as central to his government's ambitions. The Hurso episode puts that emphasis on display by placing his civilian leadership in uniform drills. What remains to be seen is how long the training lasts, whether it extends to others, and whether it is read as a sign of wider mobilisation as the pressure from Tigray, Amhara, Oromia and the Eritrean border continues.
Citações Notáveis
Soldiers have targets while civilians have goals. The objective of both is victory.— Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian prime minister
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Politics & Governance