Appeal for calm in Oromiya

At least two students were killed after rioting broke out in the Oromiya region of southern Ethiopia last week and the regional authorities have appealed for calm. Ethiopian officials have blamed the rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) for orchestrating the riots, but the OLF says the students are protesting against the "grave political conditions" under which the Oromo people are living. An OLF statement, received by IRIN, said at least 10 students had been shot dead by police and security forces in the towns of Nekemte, Ambo, Gudar, Bedeellee, Gimbi and Shambu. But according to the regional authorities, two students died in Shambu when an unidentified gunman opened fire in self-defence. The protests, which broke out late last week, began in Ambo, which is 80 km from the capital Addis Ababa, before spreading to the other towns. According to the regional authorities, the students were protesting against hardships facing local farmers who have been hard hit by falling coffee prices. Suleiman Dedefo, a spokesman for the Oromiya Council which governs the state, told IRIN the students "do not have any problems". "The problem is not with the students, it is with the opposition organisations – outside the students – the OLF," he said. "They are inciting the students...the OLF is trying to use students as a weapon, as a means of struggle to create unrest and instability in this country." However, the OLF accused the Ethiopian government of "making a futile attempt to discolour the true political picture in Oromiya". "The student resistance against the Ethiopian oppression clearly demonstrates the level the Oromo struggle has reached," it said. On the farmers' situation, Suleiman said they were “strong enough” to mount their own protests, but added that the regional government was helping them out. "Our farmers have been struggling for a century for their rights,” he said. “There is no reason for them to be represented by students.” Officials from the region say they have reduced the tax on coffee and are trying to boost exports to foreign countries. Juneidin Sado, president of the Oromiya Regional State, said the problems could be resolved through dialogue. In a press statement, he claimed the students had tried to stage a demonstration in Ambo without the necessary permits. In a separate incident, Juneidin claimed that Ethiopian troops killed eight Oromo rebels on Monday in their first clash for seven years. He said troops were now “mopping up” and would continue to hunt any OLF fighters operating in the country. Meanwhile, Abadula Gemeda, the chairman of the ruling Oromo People’s Democratic Organisation (OPDO) party in Oromiya has appealed for calm. The OPDO is part of the four-party coalition that makes up the national ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). He urged the public to "fight groups bent on causing trouble". Formed in 1974, the OLF - which advocates self-determination for the Oromiya region - pulled out of an interim government with the EPRDF in 1992 and went into opposition.