At least 15 killed in Awasa riots

At least 15 people were shot dead – including two policemen - and 25 injured after security forces and demonstrators clashed in southern Ethiopia on Friday, the federal authorities confirmed on Monday.

Running battles broke out between the police and protesters who were demonstrating against a change in the political status of the regional capital Awasa. The deaths mark the worst clashes between police and demonstrators since 39 people were killed and 250 wounded during the Addis Ababa University riots in April last year.

State Minister of Information Netsannet Asfaw told IRIN that armed rioters had been drafted in from nearby towns, bent on looting shops and businesses in Awasa. She said that the protesters opened fire on the police who shot back in self-defence, and confirmed that 15 people had been killed.

“It is very regrettable that people have had to die but there is no question about keeping law and order," she said. "The rights of a larger number of people will be violated if you don’t stop rioters.”

The Ethiopian Human Rights Council said it had sent a team into the town to investigate. “So far we haven’t anything conclusive but we are scrutinising what has happened,” said a spokesman for the organisation.

About 3,000 protesters took to the streets of Awasa, about 155 miles south of the capital Addis Ababa, on Friday afternoon. They were arguing that the change in status of Awasa meant losing local control of the administration, which will be shifted to the regional government. Some farmers fear that they could lose the right of ownership over some parts of the farmland which is located in the fertile basin of the Rift Valley.

Awasa is the regional capital of the Southern Nations and the Nationality State, one of the country’s nine federal regions, and administered by the Sidama ethnic group. The plans have angered the Sidama, who live and farm in the fertile areas around Awasa. They claim the land belongs to their ancestors and by right is theirs.

Netsannet said: “The issue was about the status of the city. Many people were mobilised because they were told the city was going to be sold. Its status has been raised to that of a special zone, which people should have appreciated. It makes the city more important. The majority of people were very happy.”

Religious leaders and elders were meeting in the town on Monday to try and restore calm. Some have claimed the death toll was a high as 30 and that dozens more had been injured in the clashes.

The regional police said in a statement that hundreds of protesters had taken to the streets illegally and opened fire on security forces trying to police the demonstration. Before demonstrations can be held in Ethiopia, permission has to be granted by the regional authorities.