The government of Ethiopia has declared a six-month nationwide state of emergency in an attempt to deal with the anti-government protests that have lasted for months.
This is the first state of emergency in 25 years since the ruling party came in power and analysts are projecting that this is going to devastate the economy of Ethiopia.
According to a statement released by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn, the state of emergency was part of the government’s step to restore law and order following persistence protests around the country. “The state of emergency was declared following a thorough discussion by the Council of Ministers on the loss of lives and property damages occurring in the country”, he said through a state television. “We want to put an end to the damage that is being carried out against infrastructure projects, health centers, administration and justice buildings,” he said, according to local media reports,” he added.
The largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, the Oromo, has been on the forefront leading the protests. The Oromos make up to a third of the population of the country. The group feel neglected and marginalized for decades. Tension rose recently when government took over the Oromo farmland to promote its projects.
In the past few months, the government of Ethiopia shut down mobile internet services and blocked all the social media platforms in most parts of the country as part of restricting communication among the protestors but matters have been getting worse with each passing day.
According to government reports, 52 people died during g the month of October as a results of the protests but human right activists records show that more than 500 people lost their lives with thousands others left nursing injuries.
Ethiopia is second most populated country in Africa with a population of more than 100 million people after Nigeria. The economy had also stabilized and had been said to be one of Africa’s largest emerging markets.