One person was shot dead on Tuesday when soldiers opened fire on a protest against the government in the conflict-stricken Ethiopia capital, northern Tigray, said an official doctor.
The protest in the city of Mekele was scheduled to coincide with the visit of religious leaders from the national capital, Addis Ababa, as part of a federal government effort to show that life is returning to normal in Tigray three months after the fighting began.
Groups of young people used burning stones and tires to block roads in central Mekele, and soldiers used live cartridges in at least one location, several witnesses told AFP.
“A corpse has arrived” with gunshot wounds, said a doctor at the Ayder Reference Hospital, adding that the victim was “a young man”.
There may be more victims, said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“The head of our transport division was injured. He was beaten by soldiers along with his son and is receiving treatment at the hospital,” said the doctor.
“He told the doctors that there are many injured on the streets, but no one takes them to the hospital.”
In early November, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced military operations against Tigray’s former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), saying they responded to the TPLF-orchestrated attacks on the federal army camps.
Federal forces entered Mekele in late November, and Abiy declared at the time that the fight was “over”.
But parts of Tigray remain unsafe, making it difficult to deliver humanitarian assistance, and aid workers are warning of possible widespread famine.
Mekele residents also complained that life is far from peaceful in the city, accusing soldiers of using lethal force to impose a curfew.
President Sahle-Work Zewde visited Mekele over the weekend, telling residents that Abiy’s government was “working to fully restore peace and return general activity to normal”.
Religious leaders were to stay in Tigray for three days and meet with regional government officials and security forces.
Multiple Tigray residents told AFP that many companies were closed on Tuesday, a move intended to show anger at the federal government.
“The government is trying to show the international community that everything is going well in Tigray and that peace is already completely stabilized,” said one resident, who also requested anonymity for security reasons.
“It was as if the protest was to prevent this false information,” he said.
Interim administration officials in Tigray did not respond to requests for comment.
rcb / np / ri