Tens of thousands of protesters in Dessie town in Ethiopia’s Amhara Regional State Monday demanded justice for ethnic Amharas over massacres in Ataye, Shewarobit, Kemissie, Karahore and other parts of Oromia Regional State.
The protesters chanted anti-government slogans and called for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to step down.
Hundreds of people have been killed, particularly women, children and the elderly in a three-day ethnically motivated attack in Ataye town which was turned into ash as the rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) attacked and burned the town.
The protesters accused the Amhara Prosperity Party of failing to defend the rights of the people it represented as the rebel force which was believed to have the backing of the Oromia Special Force to engage in targeted attacks.
The Ministry of Defense announced that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) led by a command post, has begun military offensive against forces responsible for the killing of civilians and the destruction of pubic property in North Shoa Zone and Oromia Special districts in South Wello Zone in the central part of the country.
The ministry in a statement said the security challenges have been mounting in some parts of the country as the ENDF successfully carried out law enforcement operations in Tigray.
MG/as/APA