Ethiopians woke up this morning to the news of the sudden death of Engineer Simegnew Bekele who was the project manager of Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Engineer Simegnew was found dead in his car around Meskel Square in the capital city Addis Ababa. While the cause of his death still remains unclear, Addis Insight was able to confirm from the government communication office that the engineer was scheduled to give a press release this morning. The 53-year-old engineer was a father of three and has worked on several mega projects before working on the GERD.
In a press conference given by Federal Police Commision Commissionnaire, Zeynu Jemal, the cause of Engineer Simegnew death was from a gunshot wound. The commissionnaire also disclosed that the police discovered a pistol in his right hand.
It is not clear why the engineer was scheduled to give a press conference this morning. But just three days ago in a town hall meeting with university lecturers PM Dr. Abiy Ahmed was quoted stating that the dam might take up to 10 years with the current pace.
Following the death of Engineer Simegnew there was a demonstration that was held around Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation head office demanding justice for Engineer Simegnew. Since PM Abiy Ahmed took office this will be the third incident were a high profile was being targeted. The first attack occurred with the killing of Dangote Cement Factory Country Manager along with his secretary and driver followed by a bomb attack during Meskel Square support rally for the PM.
Addis Insight would like to express its condolences to the Engineer families and all Ethiopians and always remain grateful for his service in leading one of the biggest projects ever in the countries history.
