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Women appointed to half of Ethiopian ministerial roles in major reshuffle

ETHIOPIA has appointed women to half of its government’s cabinet posts in a major reshuffle which also saw the creation of a new Ministry of Peace as part of radical reforms.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Aisha Mohammed, as defence minister — the first woman to hold the post — and claimed women were “less corrupt than men.”

“Our women ministers will disprove the adage that women can’t lead,” Mr Abiy said. Women were handed the portfolios for trade, transport and labour, along with culture, science and revenue.

He also announced the establishment of a Ministry of Peace, to be led by former parliamentary speaker Muferiat Kamil.

She is expected to downgrade the role of the powerful Ethiopian intelligence and security services, which fall under her responsibility.

“The main problem in this country is the lack of peace. This ministry will be working hard to ensure it prevails,” Mr Abiy told parliament.

Mr Abiy has undertaken a series of radical reforms since he came to power in April after the resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn.

Thousands of political prisoners have been released and Mr Abiy won international praise for making peace with neighbouring Eritrea, bringing an end to decades of deadly conflict.

However, some have criticised elements of Mr Abiy’s reform programme, which has involved the privatisation of state-run assets to deal with the country’s deepening economic crisis.

Job insecurity remains a concern and the economy has been propped up by a huge injection of foreign cash reserves by the United Arab Emirates.

Despite his calls for reconciliation, violence between ethnic groups has increased, with about 1.4 million people out of a population of 102m being displaced by violence this year.

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