Dissidents staged a protest as thousands of people congregated to observe a religious festival in Bishoftu, 40km (25 miles) from the capital of Addis Ababa. The city sits in Ethiopia’s Region of Oromia. According to the local government 52 people were killed and many were wounded.
Witnesses said people started to stampede because police deployed tear gas, rubber bullets and assaulted protesters with batons.
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said a “pre-planned mayhem” caused the stampede which steered people to fall into ravines. The Prime Minister also denied any reports of police authorities shooting the protesters.
On a national TV interview, he even praised police authorities on their “great efforts” in protecting the public. In fact, he condemned “evil forces” for the deaths and pledged to bring justice to those responsible.
Conflicting accounts
Demonstrators said the protest was entirely peaceful. However, according to authorities several reports of anti-government protesters throwing stones and bottles at the police surfaced.
Jawar Mohamed, an Oromo activist said security forces killed nearly 300 people and injured many more. He also said that troops and a helicopter armed with machine guns opened fire which drove people off a cliff and into a lake.
In the recent months, public disorder coupled with dozens of deadly engagements afflicted Ethiopia. Citizens of Oromia and Amhara regions criticized the government about political and economic marginalization.
The United States conveyed their distress on the excessive use of force by the local authorities against the protesters.
The post Ethiopia: Oromia Religious Protest Stampede Leaves 52 Dead appeared first on Newsline.
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