Nearly 100 people were killed in the weekend’s protests in Ethiopia as demonstrators clashed with security forces in different parts of the country, Amnesty International says.
The rights group says the most deadly incident happened in Bahir Dar, where at least 30 people died on Sunday.
The authorities have said seven died in Bahir Dar and that security forces were reacting to violence from protesters.
There has been an unprecedented wave of protests in Ethiopia in recent months.
People in the Oromo and Amhara regions have been complaining about political and economic marginalisation.
What is behind Ethiopia’s wave of protests?
The Oromo protests and Ethiopian unity
Amnesty says that 67 people died when “security forces fired live bullets at peaceful protesters” in different towns and cities in the Oromo region over the weekend.
There were clashes between security forces and protesters on Sunday in Bahir Dar, the Amhara regional capital.
Opposition activists have given similar figures for the number of people killed.
The government has blamed “nearby and distant foreign enemies and social media activists” for defying warnings about holding unauthorised protests, the government-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) reports.
The authorities have said that the demonstrators were destroying government and private property and “inflicting deaths on innocent citizens” and arrests were made as people were trying to spread the violence, FBC adds.
The United States, a close ally of the government, said it was “deeply concerned” by the violence and said the people’s rights to demonstrate should be respected.
The unrest was sparked last November by a plan to expand the capital into Oromia. This led to fears 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 marginalisation and human rights.
New York-based Human Rights Watch says that more than 400 people have been killed in clashes with the security forces since protests began. The government has disputed this figure.
The Amharas are Ethiopia’s second biggest ethnic group and used to form the country’s elite.
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[BBC] Ethiopia protests: ‘Nearly 100 killed’ in Oromia and Amhara
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‘Ye Ekulenet Zemen’ Part 2 Tamagn Beyene and Sisay Agena
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Ethiopians in Washington DC demonstrate against Ethiopian government
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Interview with Jawar Mohammed about Oromo protest and next steps
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Police Brutality On Protesters In Addis Ababa August 6, 2016
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Tikur Fikir in Amharic part 92
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Robel the Whale:) Robel Kiros, Fat Ethiopian swimmer finishes last [Daily Mail]
Here is the video of Robel Habte, the fat Olympics swimmer, finishing 15 seconds after his competition pic.twitter.com/A0lB2jr43P
— Jack McGuire (@BigDaddysCourt) August 9, 2016
Breathe in! Remember Eric the Eel…? Meet Robel the Whale: Ethiopian swimmer displays a very unathletic paunch for 100 metres… And finishes last by half a lap
Robel Kiros Habte was swimming in the Preliminary Men’s 100m Freestyle
Of the 59 competitors across the eight heats, he was ranked 59th
He finished the race with a time of 1 minute 4.95 seconds
Kyle Chalmers, from Australia, finished on top with a time of 47.9 seconds
An Ethiopian Olympic swimmer took his place in the 100m heats but only managed to finish half a lap behind everyone else.
Robel Kiros Habte, from Ethiopia, was swimming in the Preliminary Men’s 100m Freestyle heats at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
Of the 59 competitors across the eight heats, the unfortunate swimmer was ranked 59th with a time of 1 minute 4.95 seconds.
Kyle Chalmers, from Australia, finished on top of the heat rounds with an astounding time of 47.9 seconds.
A total of 16 swimmers qualified to move on to the next round – the slowest of those being Nathan Adrian with a time of 48.58 seconds.
Twitter users took to the social network to comment on the tubby athlete.
Harold Siyaya wrote: ‘How in the world did this Ethiopian swimmer (Robel Habte) qualify for the Olympics?
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US state department Security Message for U.S. Citizens: Violent Demonstrations in Amhara and Oromia Region
August 9, 2016
The U.S. Embassy wishes to inform U.S. citizens that protests in Ethiopia have resulted in violent clashes between demonstrators and government security forces. As such, Embassy personnel have been restricted from personal travel to areas in the Amhara and Oromia region states. Restrictions of future travel by Embassy personnel are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
While U.S. citizens have not been specifically targeted in the demonstrations, the unpredictability of protests presents significant risks for travelers to the affected regions. Everyone should increase their level of situational awareness, continuously assess their surroundings, and evaluate their personal level of safety and avoid demonstrations or large gatherings.
Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. Avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place and exercise caution when in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations.
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Ethiopia’s previously divided ethnic groups are unifying to protest against the government
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WRITTEN BY
WRITTEN BYAbdi Latif Dahir Qz.com
Ethiopia has experienced significant economic growth over the last 25 years, in part by embracing an authoritarian development model. But dissatisfaction with the government’s heavy-handed approach has mounted in recent months, culminating this weekend with thousands of demonstrators from two ethnic groups taking to the streets for the first time together to demand land reform, full political participation, and an end to human rights abuses in the country.
The demonstrations initially began in November last year in response to the government’s “Addis Ababa Integrated Master Plan,” which sought to expand the capital, currently home to more than 4.6 million people, into neighboring towns and villages inhabited by the Oromo, the country’s largest ethnic group. The Oromo said the plan would displace farmers and stymie the growth of their culture and identity.
The Ethiopian government reacted with brutal force. Human Rights Watch estimates around 400 protesters were killed, many of them students under 18 (the government disputes that number). Thousands were arrested, and Oromo community and government leaders were charged under the country’s harsh counterterrorism laws. Many have since gone on hunger strike to protest the conditions they are facing in prison. Despite this crackdown, the government bowed to pressure created by the protests, canceling the project in January.
Inspired by this mobilization, the country’s second most populous ethnic group, the Amhara, also began protesting against the government on land-related issues in July. The Oromo and the Amhara have a contentious history, but both feel they are politically and economically marginalized, despite making up more than 61% of the country’s population. And over the last few weeks, activists from both groups have expressed solidarity with each other’s protests, in the hopes that together, they can apply pressure on the government to reform.
In response, the Ethiopian government on Friday banned any types of demonstrations and blocked social media. People came out to protest anyway, and at least 97 people from both groups were believed killed by Ethiopian security forces, Amnesty International reported.
“I think we are reaching a tipping point,” says Mohammed Ademo, a Washington DC-based freelance journalist and founder of OPride.com, a website about Ethiopia, and the Oromia region in particular. “In my entire life, as a one-time protestor and organizer myself, I have never seen demonstrations taking place across the country in one day.”
Ethiopia’s government is dominated by the ethnic Tigray, who make up six percent of Ethiopia’s population of 99 million people. The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has been in power for 25 years, and the country’s parliament has no single opposition member.
Ethiopia was the fastest growing economy in the world in 2015, with 8.7% in GDP growth, according to the International Monetary Fund. But, in order to drive this rapid growth, the country has prioritized economic progress over building democratic institutions.
This was particularly evident under the leadership of the former prime minister, Meles Zenawi. During his 17-year rule, Zenawi reduced the number of Ethiopians living in extreme poverty, accelerated manufacturing and oversaw the planning of large-scale industrial projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. At the same time, the government clamped down on press freedom, and curtailed civil and political rights, according to US-based advocacy group Freedom House.
Current prime minister Haile Mariam Dessalegn on Friday called the demonstrations a threat to national security. Using the hash tag #OromoProtests, opposition members and supporters abroad took to Twitter and Facebook to showcase the size of the protests and decry the government’s response. Some inside the country managed to circumvent the social media ban using proxy servers, says Ademo, before the government completely shut down internet access. Graphic photos and videos were shared, some appearing to show police beating demonstrators.
This show of unity between the Oromo and Amhara is unprecedented since the EPRDF came into power in 1991. It’s likely the government’s response will only unify the groups further, Ademo believes. “The government’s insistence on dealing with the protests only through more crackdown and repression is only likely to exacerbate tensions and draw in other marginalized groups,” Ademo says. “Either way you look at it, these are extraordinary times for Ethiopia and the youth are saying ‘Nu Gaye, Baqa’—enough is enough.”
Ethiopia is a key US ally in the Horn of Africa, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in aid every year. During a visit there last year, president Barack Obama was criticized for praising the country’s leadership and calling it “democratically elected,” even as human rights and opposition groups have described the country as effectively an authoritarian regime.
Opposition groups have also taken aim at mainstream media’s “Ethiopia Rising” narrative, which they say overlook ethnic discontents across the country. With the scale of recent protests, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to ignore them anymore.
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Efta – Reeyot Alemu and Ermias Legesse
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August 10, 2016 – 10/90 and 20/80 List of names of Condominium winners
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10_90 Condominium Winners List – 11th Condominium Lottery Addis Ababa Ethiopia – August 2016
Ministry of Urban Development and Housing has just released the list of names of 10/90 condominium winners (11th Round).
To easily find your or someone else’s name after downloading the file
Go to Edit->Find or simply click CTRL + F on the keyboard
Then write the desired name and click search or Enter. Since it’s a very long list, it might take a few minutes to search and find the desired name.
If you are using a windows 7/8/10 computer and don’t have Amharic typing software installed, please refer to ‘How to write Amharic letters on your computer without additional software‘ blog post.
You can download the list of names for 10/90 condominium winners by clicking on one of the links below. In case, the file has too many views and can’t be opened, try the other links.
Estimated File Size : 50 MB, File Type : PDF
10_90 Condominium Winners List – 11th Condominium Lottery Addis Ababa Ethiopia – August 2016
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[Washington Post Editorial] Ethiopia’s regime has killed hundreds. Why is the West still giving it aid?
By OVER THE weekend, Ethiopia reminded the world of how it treats those who dare demonstrate against the government. At least 90 protesters were shot and killed by Ethiopian security forces in the regions of Oromia and Amhara. As demonstrations unusually reached into the capital of Addis Ababa, the regime censored social media posts and blocked Internet access.
This fresh outburst of repression follows months of unrest in the Oromia region over government plans to expand the Addis Ababa capital territory into the lands of the Oromo, the country’s largest ethnic group. According to Human Rights Watch, Ethiopian security officers have killed more than 400 people in clashes over the Oromia land dispute since protests broke out in November. Tens of thousands more have been detained. The clashes represent the worst ethnic violence that Ethiopia has seen in years. That the unrest is spreading to regions beyond Oromia underscores the depth of anger against the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front party.
The weekend’s bloodshed should prompt the West to reconsider its aid to the regime. Ethiopia has been hailed as a model of economic development and touts its progress on global anti-poverty indicators as proof that its “developmental democratic” style is working. But the repeated use of force to silence dissent threatens development by sowing seeds of future unrest.
The United States has long relied on Ethiopia as a partner in the fight against al-Shabab’s terrorism in Somalia and sends the country tens of millions of dollars in development assistance, tiptoeing around Ethiopia’s human rights abuses and resistance to democratic reforms. On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa remarked that it was “deeply concerned” and expressed its “deep condolences to those who suffered as a result” but stopped short of explicitly urging the Ethiopian government to refrain from using excessive force against its citizens. The Obama administration should encourage a credible investigation into the killings and publicly make clear that Ethiopia’s continued crackdowns are unacceptable.
Europe is on the verge of helping to provide Ethiopia with even more aid. Ethiopia is one of the key countries to which the European Union is offering “cash for cooperation,” meaning aid and trade incentives in exchange for helping to keep refugees and migrants from reaching Europe. Now Ethiopia is providing a litmus test of the stated E.U. commitment to human rights. If Ethiopia continues its pattern of abusing its citizens and stifling dissent, and if it fails to credibly investigate the recent killings, the European Union should make clear to the regime that it risks being dropped from the migrant agreements.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said in response to criticism of the regime’s human rights record that “building democratic culture will take some time. But we are on the right track. It’s improving.” That’s hard to square with the continued killing and jailing of protesters.
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PM Hailemariam responds to questions about Oromo protest and Amhara resistance
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When TPLF is in danger, they pull genocide and racism card against Tigrai people
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Tikur Fikir Drama part 93
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Full video of Bahir Dar protest
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Debre Tabor protest
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AlJazeera stream – discussion about protesters death in Ethiopia
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Interview with Olympic swimmer Robel Kiros
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Dana Drama Part 35
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