By TesfaNews,
The opposition Oromo Federalist Congress on Wednesday warned that Ethiopia is at risk of disintegration due to the violent policies of the government whose security forces have descended on Oromo people and university students.
The students were protesting against the displacement of Oromo farmers from their “ancestral land” and the inclusion of Oromo cities and surrounding localities of Finfinnee [Addis Ababa] administration under the Addis Ababa Master Plan in the name of “development”.
Ethnic Oromos generally feel the government, which is dominated by members of the Tigray and Amhara ethnic would be loath to see the size of “their” territory diminish with the expansion of Addis Ababa, which is claimed by both Oromos and Amharas.
The students were also protesting against the ongoing police brutality against fellow students in many other universities in Oromia region as well as in Addis Ababa.
Federal police response was as brutal as ever. The Voice of America (VOA) Amharic Service reported on Tuesday that two students were killed at Haromaya University on Monday and dozens of others seriously injured.
Tension is still high in most parts of Ethiopia as the demonstration and resentment against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) led government is gaining momentum.
Similar protests last year in the Oromoia State of Ambo claimed the lives of 47 people.
Meanwhile, the Federal police and prison guards in Gonder town gunned down 40 prisoners after a fire break in one of the cells and inmates struggle to save their lives. More than 400 inmates are still at large.
The Oromo ethnic groups are the single largest ethnicity in Ethiopia totaling 40% of the population. Unless handled with utmost prudence, instability through these major ethnic group can risk the disintegration of Ethiopia proper.