Over 140 Killed in Ethiopia Crackdown on Farmer Protests

At least 140 people have been killed by security forces in Ethiopia as part of a crackdown on major anti-government protests that erupted in November last year, activists and opposition figures said Sunday.

"The government is cautiously trying to avoid recognizing real problems in the society," Merera Gudina, an opposition leader, told Al Jazeera Sunday. "In fact, Ethiopian society is simply fed up with the regime, especially the youth. The young people have lost hope."

Steps ahead with #OromoProtests. The Federal Polices joining the Protests #Oromo #Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/fmdS8udgQr

— Birhanu M Lenjiso (@BirhanuLenjiso) December 31, 201

The unrest follows government development plans, dubbed the Addis Adaba Integrated Master Plan, which protesters say will displace farmers. The so-called “master plan” is set to expand the capital’s territory. Authorities have admitted that dozens of protesters have been killed and have promised to launch an investigation.

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Gudina is the leader of the Oromo People's Congress, a political party representing the Oromo people. The organization is opposed to the ruling EPRDF, or People's Revolutionary Democratic Front.

The government is accusing the protesters, who are mostly members of the Oromo people, of belonging to terror groups and seeking to “destabilize the country.”

Protest at Capitol mall against violence in Ethiopia. pic.twitter.com/rizvJeeTzp

— Riham Feshir (@RihamFeshir) December 24, 201

As part of cracking down on dissent, the government has arrested and charged several journalists and local artists under the country’s anti-terrorism laws, according to media reports.

The government there, despite a troubling human rights record, is a key ally of the United States and receives generous aid from Washington.

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The U.S. government said last month that the “United States has consistently applauded Ethiopia for being a model and a voice for development in Africa.”

However, the editorial board of the U.S.-based Washington Post said that such support is hurting the country and its people.

“But as long as Ethiopia’s authoritarian master plan for development includes the suffocation of political opposition, a blatant disregard for human rights and cracking down on media, U.S. praise of the EPRDF regime will continue to undermine its claim to support democracy on the continent,” the paper said Friday.

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The ruling party won 100 percent of the parliament's seats in May last year in what opposition parties called a rigged process. Merera said then that hundreds of opposition politicians and candidates had been arrested in the lead up to the elections.

The EPRDF has been in power since the overthrow of the military government in 1991.

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