http://qz.com/753252/ethiopias-previously-divided-ethnic-groups-are-unifying-to-protest-against-the-government/
UNITY IN ACTION
Ethiopia’s previously divided ethnic groups are unifying to protest
against the government
Written by
Abdi Latif Dahir
August 09, 2016 Quartz africa
Written by
Abdi Latif Dahir
August 09, 2016 Quartz africa
Ethiopia has experienced significant economic growth over the last 25
years, in part by embracing an authoritarian development model. But
dissatisfaction with the government’s heavy-handed approach has
mounted in recent months, culminating this weekend with thousands of
demonstrators from two ethnic groups taking to the streets for the
first time together to demand land reform, full political
participation, and an end to human rights abuses in the country.
The demonstrations initially began in November last year in response
to the government’s “Addis Ababa Integrated Master Plan,” which sought
to expand the capital, currently home to more than 4.6 million people,
into neighboring towns and villages inhabited by the Oromo, the
country’s largest ethnic group. The Oromo said the plan would displace
farmers and stymie the growth of their culture and identity.
The Ethiopian government reacted with brutal force. Human Rights Watch
estimates around 400 protesters were killed, many of them students
under 18 (the government disputes that number). Thousands were
arrested, and Oromo community and government leaders were charged
under the country’s harsh counterterrorism laws. Many have since gone
on hunger strike to protest the conditions they are facing in prison.
Despite this crackdown, the government bowed to pressure created by
the protests, canceling the project in January.
Inspired by this mobilization, the country’s second most populous
ethnic group, the Amhara, also began protesting against the government
on land-related issues in July. The Oromo and the Amhara have a
contentious history, but both feel they are politically and
economically marginalized, despite making up more than 61% of the
country’s population. And over the last few weeks, activists from both
groups have expressed solidarity with each other’s protests, in the
hopes that together, they can apply pressure on the government to
reform.
In response, the Ethiopian government on Friday banned any types of
demonstrations and blocked social media. People came out to protest
anyway, and at least 97 people from both groups were believed killed
by Ethiopian security forces, Amnesty International reported.
“I think we are reaching a tipping point,” says Mohammed Ademo, a
Washington DC-based freelance journalist and founder of OPride.com, a
website about Ethiopia, and the Oromia region in particular. “In my
entire life, as a one-time protestor and organizer myself, I have
never seen demonstrations taking place across the country in one day.”
Ethiopia’s government is dominated by the ethnic Tigray, who make up
six percent of Ethiopia’s population of 99 million people. The ruling
Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has been in
power for 25 years, and the country’s parliament has no single
opposition member.
Ethiopia was the fastest growing economy in the world in 2015, with
8.7% in GDP growth, according to the International Monetary Fund. But,
in order to drive this rapid growth, the country has prioritized
economic progress over building democratic institutions.
This was particularly evident under the leadership of the former prime
minister, Meles Zenawi. During his 17-year rule, Zenawi reduced the
number of Ethiopians living in extreme poverty, accelerated
manufacturing and oversaw the planning of large-scale industrial
projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. At the same time,
the government clamped down on press freedom, and curtailed civil and
political rights, according to US-based advocacy group Freedom House.
Current prime minister Haile Mariam Dessalegn on Friday called the
demonstrations a threat to national security. Using the hash tag
#OromoProtests, opposition members and supporters abroad took to
Twitter and Facebook to showcase the size of the protests and decry
the government’s response. Some inside the country managed to
circumvent the social media ban using proxy servers, says Ademo,
before the government completely shut down internet access. Graphic
photos and videos were shared, some appearing to show police beating
demonstrators.
This show of unity between the Oromo and Amhara is unprecedented since
the EPRDF came into power in 1991. It’s likely the government’s
response will only unify the groups further, Ademo believes. “The
government’s insistence on dealing with the protests only through more
crackdown and repression is only likely to exacerbate tensions and
draw in other marginalized groups,” Ademo says. “Either way you look
at it, these are extraordinary times for Ethiopia and the youth are
saying ‘Nu Gaye, Baqa’—enough is enough.”
Ethiopia is a key US ally in the Horn of Africa, receiving hundreds of
millions of dollars in aid every year. During a visit there last year,
president Barack Obama was criticized for praising the country’s
leadership and calling it “democratically elected,” even as human
rights and opposition groups have described the country as effectively
an authoritarian regime.
Opposition groups have also taken aim at mainstream media’s “Ethiopia
Rising” narrative, which they say overlook ethnic discontents across
the country. With the scale of recent protests, it’s unlikely they’ll
be able to ignore them anymore.
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Received on Thu Aug 11 2016 - 09:20:54 EDT