In Ethiopia, more than 60 people have died in anti-government protests in the capital Addis Ababa and in the surrounding region due to excessive violence since Wednesday.
The exact circumstances are unknown. Amnesty International criticized police officers for firing live ammunition at protesters. However, among the dead apparently also security forces who were killed by stone throwing.
Background may be the political struggle between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Jawar Mohammed, influential media entrepreneur and radical leader of the Oromo ethnic group, which also includes Premier Abiy himself.
Jawar Mohammed - first Abyy's helper, now his opponent
The protests in the capital had begun in front of Jawar's house. The demonstrators shouted "Down with Abiy!" and on demand from journalists said they wanted to protect their leader Jawar. Previously, Jawar had written to his 1.75 million Facebook followers that police forces had surrounded his home and withdrew his security services. A message that was denied by the state.
Stringer / AFP
Jawar Mohammed, Abiy critic and curser of the radical Oromo youth
From Addis Ababa, the protests spread throughout the week in the Oromia region, in the middle of which lies the capital. Among other things, in the city of Adama southeast of Addis formed protests radical Oromo. Residents of the city told Reuters that they had heard shots near a protest in support of Jawar.
On Friday, the regional authorities had heavily revised up the death toll. Initially speaking of 16 victims in protests, the head of the region's police force, Keyalew Tefera, said: "The death toll in Oromia is 67." A dozen had been killed by security forces, 55 in clashes between protesters, the news agency AFP quoted him.
For Prime Minister Abiy, the Oromo protest is a dilemma: the ethnic group is the relative majority of the 100 million Ethiopians, but has been barely involved in power over the past decades. Continuing protests by the Oromo - also strongly fueled by activist Jawar Mohammed - helped Abiy to power in the spring of 2018.
Abiy quickly created more freedom, amnestied journalists and activists of all political camps. On the other hand, he implored the unity of the country and renounced the separatists among the Oromo and other ethnic groups. Since then, the celebrated Prime Minister has been attacked by radicals in his homeland. In several regions of the East African country soldiers engaged in bloody battles with radical separatists, and millions have been victims of ethnic violence and expulsion throughout Ethiopia.
For his peace deal with Eritrea and his commitment to peace in East Africa, Abiy was honored two weeks ago with the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslomit for the Nobel Peace Prize.
It is possible that his opponent Jawar is looking for confrontation just now. On Friday, Jawar also announced plans to compete in the planned 2020 elections against Abiy.
