By RFIPosted on 10-25-2019Modified on 25-10-2019 at 22:49
After several days of violence, the government deployed Friday, October 25 the federal army in a series of localities. In the middle of the week, activist Jawar Mohammed broadcast messages claiming that power was withdrawing his bodyguards and that an attack on him was being prepared. There followed riots and clashes sometimes with ethnic flames. The latest record of the police reports 67 dead.
The Ministry of Defense decided to intervene. The soldiers were deployed in at least seven locations, mostly in the Oromo region, where most of the violence took place.
The federal army claims to have stabilized the situation. Addis Ababa now calls for the involvement of communities and their leaders in maintaining peace.
Friday the situation has calmed down relatively. On Thursday, Jawar Mohammed called for calm, asking hundreds of supporters gathered in front of his home to dismantle the roadblocks, treat the wounded and reconcile. An ambiguous call since he had advised people to " keep an eye open ".
Jawar Mohammed is a very influential and radical radical Oromo nationalist. The TV channel he created is now very much followed. It indirectly allowed the rise of current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, also Oromo.
But if he supported it in the beginning, Jawar Mohammed now opposes the head of government. On Friday, the activist accused the prime minister of dictatorial drift and intimidation. He began to show political ambitions and he did not rule out running against Abiy Ahmed in the May elections.
On the same subject
Renaissance dam: the United States proposes to mediate
Ethiopia: what happened around the home of oromo leader Jawar Mohammed?
Tensions in Ethiopia around the fate of a nationalist leader Oromo
comments