Ethiopian Air Force fighter pilot defected to Eritrea according to report by Madote – an online news publisher. Citing spokes person of Eritrean government as a source, Madote named the pilot as Daniel Yeshewas.
No information is released as to when and how the pilot defected. Ethiopian government news outlets and news sources affiliated with the Ethiopian government did not affirm or deny the news.
If the news is verified, it is likely for the defection to be related to political reasons. Rumors of disenchantment within the defense force is common.
In fact, instances like this could give a clue as to why Ethiopian government manifests signs of insecurity and irascibility at times- something which is apparently affecting politicized citizens including opposition party members, journalists and bloggers.
In February, a civilian passengers jet was hijacked to Switzerland by the co-pilot and Ethiopian government’s effort to extradite the co-pilot failed as Switzerland stood firm not to extradite the co-pilot.
On a note related to story of defection, it was not unusual to hear news of defection from Eritrea itself in recent past.