Ethiopia
Hundreds of protesters on Saturday clashed with police in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa after campaigners called for nationwide protests against unfair distribution of wealth in the country.
Violence broke out as police tried to stop several hundred chanting protesters from accessing the historic Meskel square in downtown Addis Ababa.
Footage posted online showed security officers using force against the unarmed protesters.
#OromoProtests: unarmed peaceful Protesters
— Ethiopian Press (abenezer_a) August 6, 2016mesqalsquare, Addis Ababa met with police brutality #Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/5fRfRKdTrn
An eye witness account of police beating protesters who gathered for the region wide #OromoProtests in #AddisAbaba https://t.co/Mzw72qO1ir
— Addis Standard (@addisstandard) August 6, 2016
Local media also reported that the protests were replicated in other parts of the country in response to a call by online activists of the Oromo protests.
Earlier on Friday, two people were killed in similar clashes with police in Ethiopia’s ancient city of Gonder.
The demonstrations started as a small-scale student protest over the government’s plan to expand Addis Ababa into adjacent farm lands of Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest constitutionally autonomous state.
00:55
Senegal: Opposition figure Ousmane Sonko barricaded by police on eve of trial
01:50
Ethiopia: Rebuilding schools, hospitals top priority in Tigray, charity group says
00:25
Gambia: opposition holds rally against corruption
Go to video
Amnesty denounces the blocking of access to several social networks in Ethiopia
01:34
DR Congo: Hundreds displaced by fighting protest in Goma
01:00
Protests in Kinshasa against French president Macron's visit