BBC.com: Anti-government protest near Ethiopia's capital

Officials say at least 55 people died at a festival on Sunday

Protests have broken out on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, police say. 

I saw truckloads of police headed towards the areas where demonstrators have been blocking roads and singing. 

Rights groups say more than 500 people have died since protests first erupted in Ethiopia's Oromia and Amhara regions in November 2015. 

The unrest was sparked by a government plan to expand the capital into Oromia. 

This led to fears that farmers from the Oromo ethnic group, the largest in Ethiopia, would be displaced.

The plan was later dropped but protests continued, highlighting issues such as alleged political repression and economic marginalisation.

On Sunday, at least 55 people died in a stampede at an religious festival in Oromia.

Activists say the security forces opened fire on protesters, causing the stampede. 

The government denies the allegation, blaming "evil forces" for the stampede.