Borkena
Toronto – Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP) on Tuesday said one of its officials and election candidate in Dire Dawa was arrested.
Wondwossen Kidane, EPRP public relation head in Dire Dawa, was arrested on April 7, 2026 around 10:00 A.M. local time.
According to the party, security forces took him from his work place which the party did not specify.
His residence was searched after his arrest, it was said.
Furthermore, the party said he was arrested in solitary confinement at Kezira police station in the city.
It called for his unconditional release.
At the time of this writing, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has not released a statement regarding the arrest.
Dire Dawa Police has not remarked why the EPRP member was arrested either.
The EPRP has been expressing safety concerns in connection with the ongoing election campaign ahead of the 7th federal election which is scheduled for June this year.
In an interview with Borkena last week, Mistresilssie Tamrat, secretary of the EPRP, said that the coalition could withdraw from the election if the process is compromised. The brief interview, in Amharic, is available here.
Last month, there was a reported arrest of opposition party members and candidates in South Ethiopia over the past few weeks. The story is available here
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, also leader of the ruling “Prosperity Party”, stated in his latest appearance at the Ethiopian Parliament that the election will be a “better one.”
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I’m gonna wait until the EHRC investigative report comes out. They should let him go free now without any delay. It may amount to just bullying by local officials vying for the seats in the coming election. That city is a pioneer in being an example where people of various ethnic backgrounds can live and work in harmony. I remember way back in the early 1960’s when I spent a day there on my way back to my hometown. My merchant auntie met me there and we too the 3-wheel taxi to her destination to pick up her goods and we were stuck in the sandy dry bed river. It was the first city to introduce those 3-wheelers, But when I was there for the 2nd time in the late 1960’s they were gone and replaced by European sedans I heard that the 2-wheelers are back with Indian ‘Bajaj’. I forgot what they were called in the 1960’s. Former Dire folks can shed some light on that one. It was as vibrant as Aden when Aden was still under the British protectorate.