Following the deaths of 55 people in a stampede last weekend during a religious festival, anti-government protests in Ethiopia continued for a fourth day, with demonstrators accusing authorities of land grabs, crushing free speech, and using excessive force.
Local protesters in Ethiopia’s most populated region, Oromia, say that parcels of land have been seized by the government to build factories and upscale housing, and several factories in the region have been destroyed during the protests. Opposition and rights groups say hundreds of demonstrators have been killed by government security forces in the ongoing demonstrations.
Police fired teargas and bullets to break up anti-government protests at a large crowd in the Oromia region at the weekend, causing a stampede at the religious festival. Government figures put the death at 55, but dissidents claim that the toll could be over 100.
Ethiopia's government has recently started new infrastructure and investment projects spurred on by foreign investment, including a new Chinese build railway between the capital Addis Abbaba and Ethiopia's neighbour Djibouti, connecting the landlocked country to the sea.
Protesters, however, say that they are not receiving the trickle down effects of new projects and do not receive adequate compensation for land confiscation.
Anti-government protests began in Nov. 2015, largely supported by the Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups, who began protesting for expanded land rights as well as demanding more economic and political power.
Oromo and Amhara protestors say that the smaller Tigray ethnic group dominates the country’s politics and security forces.
A number of bloggers, critical of the government have also been arrested and there have been reports of the internet being shut down this week, as opposition supporters accused the government of stifling free speech. Read more here
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