Spotlight | EthiopiaZayRide co-founders’ unsettling ties to army generals

By Getaneh Wudeneh Chemeda and Constance Daire

Published on 23.06.2026 at 04:40 GMT Reading time 4 min

Birhanu Jula (speaking into the microphone), marshal of the Ethiopian National Defense Force and chief of staff, in Addis Ababa on 26 October 2023.
Birhanu Jula (speaking into the microphone), marshal of the Ethiopian National Defense Force and chief of staff, in Addis Ababa on 26 October 2023. © Amanuel Sileshi/AFP

Linked to the launch of the on-demand taxi app, Bereket Bayissa has taken the helm of a conglomerate, the Shirshir Business Group, a key partner of the Ethiopian army. The development comes amid the takeover of METEC, the Tigrayan military-industrial empire dismantled by Abiy Ahmed.

Linked to the launch of the on-demand taxi app, Bereket Bayissa has taken the helm of a conglomerate, the Shirshir Business Group, a key partner of the Ethiopian army. The development comes amid the takeover of METEC, the Tigrayan military-industrial empire dismantled by Abiy Ahmed.