By Bileh Jelan
Addis Abeba, May 10, 2021 – A Grand Iftar event organized by the Ethiopian-Muslim community of Addis Abeba, in collaboration
with Halal Promotion Plc., was violently dispersed when security forces prevented thousands Muslims who descended on Meskel Square, a public space in the center of the city on May 9, 2021
Videos and photos showing chaotic scenes from the event and the crackdown including security forces firing teargas at crowds flooded social media outlets overnight causing an frustration and critique from several leading Muslim activists and clerics.
“Muslims refuse anything less than equality and will not accept being second class citizens.”
Ahmedin Jebel
Ethiopia’s ‘simmering civil war’ threatens to erode economic recovery prospects
CNBC 3/12/2021 Elliot Smith
According to a recent UN update, more than 2.2 million people have been displaced and allegations of human rights abuses by security forces have drawn international condemnation.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an international investigation into the fighting between the region s former ruling Tigray People s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and its allies.
The continuation of conflict presents a further roadblock to an economy ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic. The IMF has forecast 0% GDP growth in real terms in 2021.