World News : Dozens Die, Multiple Injured In Stampede After Police Fire Warning Shots at Protesters in Ethiopia + National Mourning Begins... Continue Reading 👇

Over 50 people were killed in a stampede in Ethiopia'sOromiya region that was triggered when police used teargas and shot in the airon Sunday to disperse anti-government protesters at a religious festival.

The state broadcaster put the death toll at 52, citingregional officials. The opposition also said at least 50 people were killed atthe annual festival where some people had chanted slogans against thegovernment and waved a rebel group's flag.

Sporadic protests have erupted in Oromiya in the last twoyears, initially sparked by a land row but increasingly turning more broadlyagainst the government. Since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killedin clashes with police.

The developments highlight tensions in the country where thegovernment has delivered stellar economic growth rates but faced criticism fromopponents and rights groups that it has reduced political freedoms.

Thousands of people had gathered for the annual Irreechafestival of thanksgiving in the town of Bishoftu, about 40 km (25 miles) southof the capital Addis Ababa.

Crowds chanted "We need freedom" and "We needjustice", preventing community elders, deemed close to the government,from delivering their speeches, Reuters reports.

Some protesters waved the red, green and yellow flag of theOromo Liberation Front, a rebel group branded a terrorist organisation by thegovernment, witnesses said.

When police fired teargas and guns into the air, crowds fledand created a stampede, some of them plunging into a deep ditch.

Reuters

National Mourning Begins



Ethiopians are observing three days of national mourning after people died during a protest at a religious festival in the Oromia region on Sunday.

There is a dispute over what caused the deaths.

A statement on Ethiopia's state broadcaster said the mourning is to "commemorate innocent citizens who lost their lives because of the violence instigated by anti-peace forces".

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn earlier blamed rioters for the "mayhem" which led to a stampede.
Opposition activists say the panic was caused when security forces fired teargas and bullets into the large crowd which had gathered for a thanksgiving ceremony.

They also say that the death toll is far higher than the official figure of 52.

There has been months of tension in Ethiopia's Oromia region after a series of protests in which Oromo people have been complaining of political and economic marginalisation.

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