2014–2016 Oromo protests

At a glance

Dates: From 2018.

What came before

Background and causes Power struggle In 1991, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front ( EPRDF ) captured the capital Addis Ababa and ended the Ethiopian Civil War . The EPRDF was led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front and was dominated by those belonging to the Tigray ethnic group, which is a minority group comprising only about six percent of the country's population. However,

What happened

Reactions Domestic The Ethiopian government denied violence was being committed by the country's security forces, naming regional rivals Eritrea and Egypt as fomenting the ongoing unrest. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] International The United States Embassy in Addis Ababa released a statement of concern. [ 3 ] Legislation was authored by US Congressman Chris Smith , to protect civilians in Ethiopia as well as promote democracy and good governance.

The 2014–2016 Oromo protests were a series of protests and resistance in Oromia which first sparked on 25 April 2014. The initial actions were taken in opposition to the Addis Ababa Master Plan, and resumed on 12 November 2015 by university students and farmers in the town of Ginchi, located 80 km southwest of Addis Ababa, encircled by Oromia. The plan was to expand the capital into the Oromia special zone, leading to fears that native Oromo farmers would lose their land and be displaced.