Abyssinian ruler deployed guns round the capital of Ethiopia (5)
I believe the answer is:
negus
'abyssinian ruler' is the definition.
'negus' can be an answer for 'ruler' (I have seen 'Ethiopian king ' mean 'negus' so perhaps 'king' could also mean 'negus'). I'm not certain of the 'abyssinian' bit.
'deployed guns round the capital of ethiopia' is the wordplay.
'deployed' is an anagram indicator.
'round' is an insertion indicator.
'the capital of' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letter of 'ethiopia' is 'e'.
'guns' with letters rearranged gives 'ngus'.
'ngus' enclosing 'e' is 'NEGUS'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for negus that I've seen before include "Hot stimulant" , "Hot spiced port with lemon" , "Title of Emperor of Ethiopia" , "Mulled wine - genus (anag)" , "Abyssinian king - spiced drink" .)