Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has backtracked on 'master plan' to expand Addis Ababa. (Photo: Google Images)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has backtracked on 'master plan' to expand Addis Ababa. (Photo: Google Images)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has backtracked on ‘master plan’ to expand Addis Ababa. (Photo: Google Images)

Mathias Muindi is reporting a controversial plan by the Ethiopian government to expand the capital, Addis Ababa, is set to be scrapped after a key member of the ruling coalition withdrew its support. Muindi writes:

“The expansion plan sparked deadly violence in the central-southern state of Oromia, which surrounds Addis Ababa.

Rights groups say that at least 150 protesters have died and another 5,000 have been arrested by security forces. Similar protests in May 2014 left dozens of protesters dead.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn had vowed on 16 December that his government would be “merciless” towards the protesters, who he described as “anti-peace forces”.

However in a surprising move, the Oromo People’s Democratic Organisation (OPDO) said on 12 January that it had resolved to “fully terminate” the plan after a three-day meeting.

Rejection of official plans by government members is unprecedented in Ethiopia.

It is also historic, as it could be seen as acknowledging the legitimacy of the protests.”

Protesters were railing against the plan because many saw it as a guise for uprooting rural ethnic groups including the Tigray and Amhara groups.

Read more at BBC Africa.

Follow The Burton Wire on Instagram and Twitter @TheBurtonWire.

Previous articleSAG Awards: Idris Elba ‘Welcome to Diversity TV’
Next articleTV Legend Norman Lear: ‘America Needs a Dad’
TheBurtonWire.com is the premiere online destination for people who think for themselves. This blog offers news from the African Diaspora, culture that is produced by often overlooked populations and opinion that is informed and based on fact. Tired of the onslaught of websites and talking heads that regurgitate what people want to hear, TheBurtonWire.com is a publication that elevates news and perspectives that people need to hear. TheBurtonWire.com is for individual thinkers who understand that they are part of a larger collective. What is this collective? Free thinking people that care about the world, who will not be categorized or boxed in by society or culture and are interested in issues and topics that defy stereotypes and conventional wisdom.