From News24

Fear is so pervasive in Ethiopia’s largest region Oromia, where the government is accused of killing scores in a crackdown, that people don’t even like to give their names.

Oromia, which surrounds the capital Addis Ababa, is dotted with machine-gun mounted vehicles and Ethiopian soldiers who locals say have disrupted daily life with incessant checks, harassment and intimidation.

“If you go out in the evening, the police will arrest you, check your papers and your phones. If you have music or photos linked to the protests, you’re in serious trouble,” a young man in his twenties said in Ginchi, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Addis Ababa.

“I am very scared for our children, for our youths. I no longer sleep at night. Our life has become hell and it has no meaning,” said a mother of two aged in her forties.

Demonstrations began in Oromia in November due to a government plan to expand the boundaries of Addis Ababa into the region, raising fears among the Oromo people that their farms would be expropriated.

Authorities dropped the urban development plan on January 12 and announced the situation in Oromia was largely under control.

But the demonstrations continued, along with the brutal response, which Human Rights Watch said has claimed the lives of more than 200 people, according to Ethiopian activists.

The Oromos are the largest ethnic group in the east African country, estimated at 27 million in a total population of some 99 million.

Their language, Oromo, is distinct from Amharic, spoken by the Ahmara people and used by the national administration.

In Ambo, 40 kilometres to the west of Ginchi, policemen and soldiers patrol the streets. Some shops are open but schools and hospitals have been closed for three months.

Three young bank employees, huddled on small paved street, discreetly recount the latest protests that erupted at the end of last week.

“There are more policemen in Ambo than there are cobblestones,” said one.

“We are scared of soldiers. There have been a lot of arrests. Tension has been growing since the start of the protests,” added another.

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