01 Oct 2020 | 08:37 AM UTC
Ethiopia: Irreecha festival to be held October 3-4
Irreecha festival to be observed between October 3 and 4; avoid large gatherings as a precaution
Event
The Irreecha festival, a thanksgiving festival of the Oromo community, will be observed between Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4. Gatherings will likely occur in Meskel Square in Addis Ababa on Saturday and Bishoftu (Oromia region) on Sunday to mark the holiday. In the past, protesters have used the festival as a platform to demonstrate against the government.
Travel disruptions and potential protests, with the potential for clashes between protesters and police, are to be expected during the festival period.
Context
The Irreecha festival marks the transition from the rainy season to the harvest season and draws large-scale crowds to Bishoftu on an annual basis. The 2016 Irreecha festival came amid anti-government unrest across Ethiopia. Clashes between police and protesters during anti-government protests which occurred during festival celebrations in Boshoftu resulted in at least 55 deaths when the clashes provoked a stampede. The 2020 Irreecha celebrations come in the context of the assassination of Hachalu Hundesa, an Oromo singer and activist whose death sparked unrest, and the arrests of Oromo political figures Bekele Gerba and Jawar Mohammed.
Advice
Those in Addis Ababa and Oromia region are advised to monitor developments, avoid all protests as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities.
