Ethiopia’s Oromos Rebuke Abiy At Festival: ‘Back To Square Zero’
As Ethiopian military clashed with demonstrators during a religious festival five years ago, Lelise Abdissa jumped into a ditch for shelter, only to be crushed by other scared revellers.
She awoke in a hospital with a fractured arm, but she was lucky: dozens of people died in the October 2016 rush that disrupted Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromos, from celebrating Irreecha, a thanksgiving holiday.
The bloodshed was a crucial flashpoint in Ethiopia’s years-long campaign that swept Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s first Oromo monarch, to power after military used tear gas and live ammunition to suppress anti-government protesters.
However, with Abiy due to be sworn in for a fresh five-year term, some Oromos’ enthusiasm for his appointment has dimmed.
They vented their frustrations over the weekend during two days of Irreecha celebrations in Addis Ababa and Bishoftu, which has traditionally hosted the largest Irreecha gatherings.
They chanted “Down, down Abiy” in protest of the same concerns that brought them to the streets in 2016: the killing of Oromo civilians, mass arrests of Oromo youths, and the imprisonment of Oromo opposition politicians.
Eyasped Tesfaye, a famous Oromo activist and government critic, told AFP, “Unfortunately, we are back to square zero.”
Lelise, dressed in a cotton garment in typical Oromo colors of red, white, and black, expressed a similar sentiment.
She stated, “I don’t believe there has been any change.”
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Re: Ethiopia’s Oromos Rebuke Abiy At Festival: ‘Back To Square Zero’ (Washington News Day)
አዲስ ንጉስ እንጂ ለውጥ መች መጣ! Ireechaa 2016 vs Ireechaa 2021
