He had previously been serving a life sentence in relation to an alleged coup attempt staged by Ginbot 7.

[3] After his release from prison and appointment to a government post, he advocated for more autonomy for Amhara and went as far as calling members of his ethnic group to arm themselves and join local militias.

In a related event, the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, Gen.

Se'are Mekonnen, and his aide, Maj. Gen. Gizae Aberra, were assassinated by a bodyguard, the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed said.

[3] Following the alleged attempted coup, he was on the run, with his whereabouts unknown,[7] until he was shot dead by police on 24 June, after 36 hours at large, Ethiopian state television announced.