Strikes Spread in Restive Ethiopia Region Before Tillerson Visit

ADDIS ABABA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Strikes protesting Ethiopia’s state of emergency spread across the restive Oromia region ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’sarrival for talks with the Horn of Africa nation’s embattled government.

The closing of shops and roads by members of Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group is the latest sign of discontent in Oromia state, where unrest has prompted the country’s second state of emergency in two years. Tillerson is due in Ethiopia this week as part of his first government visit to sub-Saharan Africa, less than a month after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned.

More than two years of protests in the Oromia and Amhara regions have left hundreds of people dead, while recent conflict between the Oromia and Somali regions has forced more than 900,000 people from their homes. Combined, they pose the largest challenge to Ethiopia’s ruling coalition since it took power a quarter-century ago.

Youth in the sprawling Oromia territory, which surrounds the capital, Addis Ababa, announced three days of strikes Monday to protest the emergency measures that Ethiopia’s parliament ratified without meeting a required two-thirds quorum, said Bekane Tadese, a lecturer at Addis Ababa University.

Strike Widespread
Musa Ali, a chief elder responsible for part of eastern Oromia, said by phone that the strike is being widely observed in the region. Tiruneh Gemeta, a member of the executive committee of the Oromo Federalist Congress, a legal opposition party, also said the action was widespread.

Information Minister Negeri Lencho, Defense Minister Siraj Fegessa, and Addisu Arega, Oromia’s spokesman, didn’t respond to three calls and three text messages each seeking comment on the strike. The ruling party-linked Ethiopian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday that transport links and shops were closed in places including western and eastern Oromia, citing residents.

The state of emergency forbids rallies and public meetings without permission, strikes and absence from work “without enough reason,” Fana Broadcasting Corp., which is funded by the ruling party, reported. The government also declared illegal any “intentional under-performance,” disruption of transport services, social-media posts and distribution of publications that could incite violence.

A Tuesday directive from Attorney General Getachew Ambaye authorizes police and security forces to “take proportionate measures” including detention and searches without warrant to protect themselves and investment institutions from attacks and to “ensure the wellbeing of the people,” Fana said.

Ethiopia, Africa’s fastest-growing economy over the past decade, is a key regional U.S. ally in its battle against al-Qaeda in the region.