Police fire teargas, warning shots at Ethiopia protest
ADDIS ABABA- Police in Ethiopia's Oromiya region fired teargas and warning shots on Sunday to disperse anti-government protesters at a religious festival, triggering a stampede that caused several casualties, witnesses said.
Sporadic protests have erupted in Oromiya in the last two years, initially sparked by a land row and increasingly turning more broadly against the government. Since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killed in clashes with police.
Thousands of people gathered for the annual Irreecha festival in the town of Bishoftu, around 40 km south of the capital Addis Ababa.
Crowds chanted "we need freedom" and "we need justice", preventing community elders, deemed close to the government, from delivering their speeches at the festival.
