Ethiopia: Police kill five at religious festival in Amhara Jan. 20

Event

Police forces shot and killed at least five people on Saturday, January 20, at the annual Timket Festival (the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany) in Weldiya (Amhara region); 18 other people were injured. The incident reportedly began when people starting singing anti-government songs and police officers used live ammunition to disperse the crowd. Hundreds of people took to the streets on January 21 to denounce the killings

Context

Large numbers of federal and regional security forces have been deployed in Amhara region since December 2017 following skirmishes at a football match. The region has also experienced ethnic-based attacks at universities.

Anti-government demonstrations to demand political and economic reforms and an end to state corruption and human rights abuses are common in Ethiopia. Amhara, along with Oromia, was at the heart of major anti-government protests that affected the country in 2015-2016. The protests led to a state of emergency that remained in effect from October 2016 through August 2017.

Advice

Individuals in Ethiopia are advised to avoid any large gatherings and protests, as security forces may crack down on protests with excessive force, and stay abreast of any changes to the political and security situation.

On a more general note, due to the terrorist threat linked to the Somali group Al-Shabaab, many Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the Ogaden region and other areas along the border with Somalia, as well as nonessential travel to the rest of the Ethiopian Somali region. The Eritrean, Sudanese, South Sudanese, and Kenyan borders are also considered high-risk destinations.