http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/dozens-killed-in-ethiopian-protests-2054779
Dozens killed in Ethiopian protests
Africa / 08 Aug '16, 3:46pm
DPA
Addis Ababa - Protests against the Ethiopian government have left
dozens of people dead, activists and witnesses said Monday following a
wave of unrest around the country.
The government has only put the death toll at seven.
Members of the Ethiopian army patrol the streets of Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, after recent clashes with protesters. Photo: AP Photo/Karel
Prinsloo, file. Credit: AP
Demonstrations accusing the government of human rights abuses and of
marginalising ethnic communities raged over the weekend in the
north-western region of Amhara and in Oromia, Ethiopia's largest
region covering parts of the south and west.
The Oromo and Amhara are the largest among Ethiopia's more than 80
ethnic groups, making up an estimated 30 per cent each of the
94-million population.
The government said seven people were killed in Amhara's capital Bahir
Dar as protesters clashed with police.
But social media activists and witnesses, who spoke to dpa on
condition of anonymity, said clashes in Amhara and Oromia claimed up
to 25 lives.
“Social amenities, hotels, banks and individual-owned properties were
attacked during the violence” in Bahir Dar, the Amhara region's
spokesman, Nigusu Tilhaun, told the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting
Corporate.
Activists and witnesses accused the authorities of a brutal crackdown
to silence criticism.
Oromia had previously seen months of protests against plans to extend
the boundary of the capital, Addis Ababa, which is located in Oromia,
amid concern that it could lead to farmers being displaced.
The protests led to security forces killing more than 400 people,
according to Human Rights Watch.
ANA-DPA
Received on Mon Aug 08 2016 - 09:56:10 EDT