Ethiopian police in the restive Amhara region in the north confirmed Sunday that seven people were killed when worshippers celebrating the Epiphany holiday clashed with security forces.

The killings on Saturday in the town of Woldiya, 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the capital Addis Ababa, happened on the second day of the colorful Epiphany celebrations in this East African nation.

Amare Goshu, a police official in the region, told the state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation that seven people died, including one security officer, during the confrontation. He said that the security forces responded with force when youths in the town tried to attack officers who were patrolling the holiday procession areas. "More than 15 citizens and 2 police officers were also injured and are now receiving treatment," he said. </s> ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - At least seven people died after clashes broke out between security forces and worshippers taking part in a religious ceremony marking Epiphany in northern Ethiopia over the weekend, officials said.

Authorities in the Horn of Africa country’s Amhara region said they were yet to determine the causes of the violence that first erupted on Saturday in the town of Woldiya, more than 500 kilometers north of the capital Addis Ababa.

“Attempts to unblock roads and prevent the destruction of property are still ongoing. The situation has improved (since Sunday) but we are still having to undertake such measures,” said Amare Goshu, a police commissioner of the district.

One member of security forces deployed to quell the violence was among the dead, he said. Orthodox Christians use Epiphany celebrations to mark the baptism of Jesus Christ.

It was not immediately clear if the violence is related to unrest that plagued the country in 2015 and 2016.

In Ethiopia’s central Oromiya province, hundreds were killed over that period in violence triggered by allegations of land grabs, with protests then broadening into demonstrations over political restrictions and perceived rights abuses.

Protests had also previously taken place in the Amhara region, with dozens dying in violence sparked by a territorial dispute.

Ethiopia is a Western ally against Islamist militants in neighboring Somalia and an economic power seen as a center of relative stability in a fragile region.

The government in Addis Ababa has sought to calm political turmoil by announcing reforms and releasing dissidents. Last week, a senior opposition leader jailed for collusion with anti-government rebel groups was freed alongside 114 other inmates. </s> GENEVA (Reuters) - Ethiopian security forces opened fire on protesters who were singing anti-government songs, U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said on Tuesday.

Authorities said on Monday that at least seven people died in clashes between security forces and worshippers taking part in a religious ceremony marking Epiphany in Amhara region in northern Ethiopia at the weekend, but they had yet to determine the cause of the violence.

Shamdasani told a U.N. briefing in Geneva that the U.N. human rights office was extremely concerned by the deaths.

“The incident, in Woldiya City in Amhara Regional State on 20 January, reportedly took place when the security forces tried to stop people from chanting anti-government songs and allegedly opened fire on them. Protesters reportedly later blocked roads and destroyed a number of properties.”

Ethiopian government spokesman Negeri Lencho, reacting to Shamdasani’s statement, told journalists on Tuesday that demands by the public should be “raised peacefully.” Security forces should exercise restraint and avoid actions that could lead to death and injury, he said.

Shamdasani did not specify the source of the information but said the U.N.’s regional office in Addis Ababa had collected information from several sources, including local media, trusted civil society sources and official statements.

The incident was all the more regrettable as it came just two weeks after Ethiopia’s ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, announced its intention of undertaking reforms, she added.

“We understand that the President of Amhara Regional State, who confirmed that there had been deaths and injuries, said there would be what he termed a ‘careful examination’ of the incident.”

She said it should be prompt, independent, impartial and effective and ensure anybody responsible for violating human rights was held accountable. </s> ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian police official in the restive Amhara region in the north confirmed Sunday evening that seven people were killed when worshippers celebrating the Epiphany holiday clashed with security forces.

The killings on Saturday in the town of Woldiya, some 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of the capital Addis Ababa, happened on the second day of the colorful Epiphany celebrations in this East African nation.

Amare Goshu, a police official in the region, told the state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation that seven people died, including one security officer, during the confrontation. He said that the security forces responded with force when youths in the town tried to attack officers who were patrolling the holiday procession areas. “More than 15 citizens and 2 police officers were also injured and are now receiving treatment,” he said.

Two Woldiya residents, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said the measures taken by the security forces were excessive and feared the death toll was higher. One claimed police fired on demonstrators who were throwing stones. The other said the death toll could rise further as gunshots could be heard until midday Sunday. Both added that a number of hotels, restaurants and shops were burned down by angry protesters.

Ethiopia’s Amhara and Oromia regions have seen violent anti- government protests since November, 2015, when people took to the streets demanding political freedom and the release of political prisoners. Hundreds have been killed and more than 11,000 arrested, although most have since been released.

Ethiopia is an ally of the U.S. but it is often accused by rights groups of stifling dissent and arresting opposition figures and journalists critical of the government. A prominent opposition politician, Merera Gudina, was released on Wednesday as part of a pledge by the government to open up the political space and create a national consensus. </s> Dozens of people were crushed to death Sunday in a stampede after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an anti-government protest that grew out of a massive religious festival, witnesses said. The Oromia regional government confirmed the death toll at 52.

“I almost died in that place today,” said one shaken protester who gave his name only as Elias. Mud-covered and shoeless, he said he had been dragged out of a deep ditch that many people fell into as they tried to flee.

The first to fall in had suffocated, he said.

“Many people have managed to get out alive, but I’m sure many more others were down there,” he said. “It is really shocking.”

The stampede occurred in one of the East African country’s most politically sensitive regions, Oromia, which has seen months of sometimes deadly demonstrations demanding wider freedoms.

Read more: Ottawa urged to advocate for human rights in Ethiopia

An estimated 2 million people were attending the annual Irrecha thanksgiving festival in the town of Bishoftu, southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, when people began chanting slogans against the government, according to witnesses.

The chanting crowds pressed toward a stage where religious leaders were speaking, the witnesses said, and some threw rocks and plastic bottles.

Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and people tried to flee. Some were crushed in nearby ditches, witnesses said.

In its statement, the Oromia regional government blamed “evil acts masterminded by forces who are irresponsible,” and it denied that the deaths were caused by any actions by security forces.

Mulatu Gemechu of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress told The Associated Press that his sources at hospitals said at least 52 people were dead as of Sunday evening, but he thought the figure would rise.

The protesters were peaceful and did not carry anything to harm police, he said.

Before the stampede, an AP reporter saw small groups of people walking in the crowd and holding up their crossed wrists in a popular gesture of protest.

The reporter also saw police firing tear gas and, later, several injured people.

The crossed-wrists gesture has been used widely as a sign of peaceful resistance and is meant to symbolize being handcuffed by security forces.

It was in the spotlight at the Rio Olympics, when Ethiopian marathoner Feyisa Lilesa, who is from the Oromia region, crossed his wrists while finishing in second place. He hasn’t returned to the country since, saying his life could be in danger.

Ethiopia’s government, a close security ally of the West, has been accused often of silencing dissent, at times blocking Internet access.

The months of anti-government protests and the sometimes harsh government response have raised international concern.

The United States recently spoke out against what it called the excessive use of force against protesters, describing the situation in Ethiopia as “extremely serious.”

On Sunday, many people in Ethiopia turned their Twitter and Facebook profiles to solid black and expressed anger at the government over the deaths.

The regional government declared three days of national mourning. </s> There is still tension arising from deaths reported in Ethiopia’s Amhara region after security forces shot and killed a number of protesters on Saturday.

Hundreds of people have taken to the streets a day after the incident to protest against the security action that led to the deaths. The Reporter news portal in Ethiopia says it had reports that gunshots were still being heard in the town of Woldiya.

A local portal, the Addis Gazetta shared a phot that showed people on the streets of Woldiya where the incident took place. It is located about 510 km away from the capital, Addis Ababa.

The young people who were singing and dancing as they marched through the town as part of a religious event changed their songs to anti-government chants and songs leading to the clash and subsequent deaths.

The casualty figure, which ranges between five and over a dozen, is said to be rising according to local news sources. Federal security forces reportedly opened fire on young people who were partaking in a religious ceremony, the Epiphany.

The spokesperson of the Amhara region confirmed the deaths and added that there was a probe underway to ascertain the true facts on the issue. Perpetrators will be brought to book, he added.

Reports say there has been heavy federal and regional security forces in Amhara state since last December following skirmishes at a football match. The region also experienced disturbances in its universities in what was described as ethnic-based attacks.

Amhara located in the country’s north was along with Oromia, the heart of anti-government protests that shook the country between 2015 and much of 2016. The protests led to an October 2016 state of emergency lifted in August 2017. </s> Bishoftu (Ethiopia) (AFP) - Ethiopia was in mourning Monday after more than 50 people died in a stampede triggered when police clashed with protesters, the latest bloody episode in a wave of anger against the authoritarian government.

Authorities have said 52 people were killed in the crush at a religious festival Sunday in the town of Bishoftu, east of Addis Ababa. But a local hospital counted 58 bodies and the opposition believes the death toll could be far higher.

The resort town in the Oromia region, popular among tourists for several volcanic lakes, is reeling after the stampede which has been blamed on police who fired tear gas at a crowd of tens of thousands of anti-government protesters.

Shoes and items of clothing littered the scene of the disaster, and a small group of angry residents were digging for bodies in a deep ditch that claimed many fleeing festival-goers.

"We're digging because people are buried inside the ditch. Fifty-two dead is a lie," said one of the diggers, Dagafa Dame.

Members of the group said they had dug up three corpses on Monday, however it was not clear whether these had been factored into the official death toll.

Members of the country's largest ethnic group, the Oromo, had gathered at a sacred lake in Bishoftu for a religious festival of thanksgiving called Irreecha to mark the end of the rainy season.

However political grievances took over, with Oromo protesters chanting anti-government slogans and crossing their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of protest against a government considered among the most repressive in Africa.

A video on social media networks showed one protester clambering onto the stage, grabbing the microphone and shouting "down, down" with the ruling Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF)

Chaos erupted after police charged the protesters and fired tear gas, sending panic through the heaving crowd.

Fedesa Mengesha, a doctor in the town's main hospital, told AFP that his colleagues had registered 58 dead, many bleeding from the mouth and nose.

"I don't know if other bodies were taken somewhere else, or taken by their families," he said, adding that despite reports that security forces had fired live bullets at the crowd, there was no evidence of this.

The regional government said in a statement that 52 people had died in the ensuing stampede.

Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, told AFP he believed there had been many more fatalities than the number officially announced.

"What I hear from people on the ground is that the number of dead is more than 100," said Gudina.

Three days of national mourning were declared on Monday, with the national flag being flown at half-mast in government institutions and regular radio programmes replaced with music.

"If the government hadn't provoked this they would not have to declare three days of mourning. They are responsible. People are angry. Things will get worse," said Baadhada Lami, sitting in a local cafe.

The regional government blamed "irresponsible forces" for the disaster.

Demonstrations against Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn's administration began in November 2015 over a government plan to expand the boundaries of Addis Ababa into the Oromia region.

That project was binned, however a brutal crackdown on the protests kindled simmering anger against iron-fisted leaders who largely hail from the northern Tigray region and represent less than 10 percent of the population.

"For the last 25 years the Oromo people have been marginalised in many things. Today we come together as one to chant for our freedom," said one of the people at the festival, Habte Bulcha.

The protests in Oromia later spread to the northern Amhara region, and international rights groups estimate at least 500 demonstrators have been killed and hundreds injured over the past 10 months.

Together, Oromos and Amharas make up 60 percent of the population of Ethiopia.

In 1991 the TPLF (Tigrayan People's Liberation Front), then a rebel group, overthrew dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam.

Now as a political party it stands accused of monopolising power and keeping a stranglehold over the media.

The West has largely avoided direct criticism of the country's rights record because Ethiopia is credited with beating back Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabaab militants in Somalia. </s> People extract an injured man from a ditch after a deadly stampede in Bishoftu on October 2, 2016. By Zacharias Abubeker (AFP)

Bishoftu (Ethiopia) (AFP) - Dozens of people were feared dead in Ethiopia after police fired tear gas at protesters during a religious festival on Sunday, triggering a panicked stampede.

Opposition groups said more than 100 people had been killed in the chaos after thousands of people gathered at a sacred lake in the town of Bishoftu near the capital Addis Ababa.

The government said only that there had been "loss of lives" at the Irreecha (thanksgiving) ceremony, in which the Oromo community marks the end of the rainy season.

"The annual Irreecha festival has been disrupted due to a violence created by some groups... Loss of lives has occurred due to a stampede," said a government statement published by state media.

Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, told AFP there had been many fatalities, but there was no independent confirmation.

"Bodies are being collected by the government. But what I hear from people on the ground is that the number of dead is more than one hundred," said Gudina.

Ethiopia is facing its biggest anti-government unrest in a decade and some festival participants had crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of protest by the Oromo community, according to an AFP photographer.

The event quickly degenerated, with protesters throwing stones and bottles and security forces responding with baton charges and tear gas grenades, with some reports of gunfire.

The police action sent people fleeing in panic and at least 50 people fell on top of each other into a ditch.

The AFP photographer said earlier he saw between 15 and 20 bodies that were not moving, some clearly dead.

Police demanded that the photographer leave the scene, where rubber bullets were seen strewn on the ground.

Oromo activists called for "five days of rage" to protest the killings while a strong police presence was visible as the news of the day's events spread.

"This government is a dictatorship, there is no equality or freedom of speech. There is only TPLF. That's why we must protest today," said Mohamed Jafar, referring to the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front.

In 1991 the TPLF, then a rebel group, overthrew Mengistu Haile Mariam's dictatorship and now, as a political party stands accused of monopolising power.

Every year millions of people in the Oromo region mark the Irreecha festival on the shores of Lake Harsadi, which they consider sacred.

The anti-government protests started in the central and western Oromo region in 2015 and spread in recent months to the northern Amhara region.

"For the last 25 years the Oromo people have been marginalised in many things. Today we come together as one to chant for our freedom," said one of the people at the festival, Habte Bulcha.

Together, Oromos and Amharas make up 60 percent of the population of the Horn of Africa nation and have become increasingly vocal in rejecting what they see as the disproportionate power wielded by the northern Tigrean minority in government and the security forces. </s> Festival goers flee as police fire teargas into the crowd in Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday, October 2. At least 52 people died during the stampede that followed. An estimated two million people had gathered at a sacred lake to take part in the Irreecha ceremony to mark the Oromo New Year.
Seven people die in clashes between security forces and worshippers taking part in an Ethiopian Orthodox religious ceremony marking Timkat (Epiphany) in Woldiya, Amhara, Ethiopia, over the weekend.