Ethiopia anti-government protesters clash with police in capital, Addis Ababa

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 mesqal square, Addis Ababa met with police brutality #Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/5fRfRKdTrn

— Ethiopian Press (abenezer_a) August 6, 2016

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.