About 1000 people have been arrested after riots in Sebeta city, in Oromia province, 20 kilometres west of Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa, which left hundreds of residents homeless and burnt out a dozen factories and dozens of vehicles.
According to the government-affiliated Radio Fana, all but 50 of the “suspected rioters” arrested were from other parts of Oromia.
Sebeta attracts many residents and businesses from Addis Ababa, because of the capital’s city rising living costs.
Sebeta mayor Ararasa Merdasa told Radio Fana that those detainees who were found to be innocent of crimes would eventually be released. He also said the city was beefing up security and holding conferences with city residents to try to restore calm.
Oromos who make up a third of Ethiopia’s nearly 100 million population, have been demonstrating for months over various issues, including alleged attempts by the central government to appropriate Oromo rural areas for the development of the capital city Addis Ababa.
At least 400 people have died in the protests, mainly because of a violent crackdown by police, according to human rights groups. The government declared a state of emergency on October 9 to try to contain the violence.
