Ethiopia: Massive Protests Demand End to Violence

On Monday, Ethiopians took to the streets to protest the constant outbreaks of violence in the Oromia region.

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Residents from the towns of Ambo, Ghimbi, Holeta, Burayu, Bajo, and Metu took to the streets to peacefully demand that the government put an end to the security crisis, according to Fana Broadcasting Corporate.

Since October alone, over 30 people were killed, including 17 police officers, and tens of thousands have been displaced in the Beninshangul-Gumuz region bordering Sudan and South Sudan.

More than 200 have been arrested in connection to the killings.

According to the government, the violence is due to opposition to political and economic reforms led by prime minister Abiy Ahmed, while citizens of the nation claim the violence is a result of due to ethnic tensions. 

The government responded saying it is taking action, but it has encountered heavily armored and well coordinated rebel groups which can’t not be easily contained, according to Benshiangul Regional State office.

The National Security Council of Ethiopia has passed a decision which allows for the deployment of federal security forces to Oromia.

Earlier this year, thousands of people took to the streets of Addis Ababa to protest a week of ethnic-motivated violence which took place in the Oromo heartland on the skirts of the capital city.

As a result of the violence, 23 people were killed.

The Oromo are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. They allege to having been marginalized by decades of elite minority group rule and that minorities are now encroaching on their lands.

“What makes this senseless violence even more outrageous is the fact that this is happening at a time when there is such a remarkable level of democratic opening in the country,” Awol Allo, a lecturer at Keele University School of Law, told Aljazeera.

At the heart of the ethnic violence are the tensions between the Oromos and Gedeos, which have already caused approximately one million people to flee their homes since Abiy’s government transition to power.