[ad_1]
Members of Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group gathered in Addis Ababa for a shortened version of Irreecha, its annual Thanksgiving festival, amid unrest and political division.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government said it was restricting attendance at the Oromo group’s Irreecha festival to roughly 5,000 people to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, just as it did for an Orthodox Christian holiday last week.
But some attendees said the regulations were designed to prevent anti-government protests at a time when opposition Oromo politicians are behind bars and security forces are accused of using heavy-handed tactics against civilians in the region of Oromo surrounding the capital.
“When people come together, they may reflect on what is wrong with the country. For fear of that, they have restricted us, ”said Jatani Bonaya, a 26-year-old student, on Saturday. “What the government is doing is not right.”
Irreecha marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the harvest season.
It traditionally takes place in the town of Bishoftu, Oromia, about 50 km (30 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa.
In 2016, the use of tear gas and firearms by security forces sparked a stampede in Bishoftu that killed dozens, some of whom drowned in a nearby lake.
The government put the death toll at 55, although Human Rights Watch later said it could have been in the hundreds.
The following year, Irreecha turned into an anti-government protest, part of a broader movement that brought Abiy, Ethiopia’s first Oromo ruler, to power in 2018.
Last year, Abiy allowed a separate Irreecha celebration to take place for the first time in Addis Ababa and hundreds of thousands attended.
On Saturday, a much smaller crowd led by chanting Oromo traditional leaders gathered in pools of water in central Addis Ababa, where they dipped flowers and sprinkled themselves, gestures symbolizing gratitude and renewal.
Tensions between the Abiy and Oromo nationalists have been on the rise in recent months following the assassination of Hachalu Hundessa, a pop star who gave voice to Oromo feelings of marginalization, in June.
More than 160 people were killed in the violence that followed, and more than 9,000 were trapped in subsequent mass arrests, including journalists and prominent Oromo opposition politicians.
[ad_2]
