ADDIS ABABA (Halbeeg News) – Thousands of protesters have been dispersed in a number of towns and cities in Ethiopia on Wednesday after the security forces raided a house of a popular activist’s in Addis Ababa town.
The demonstrators took the streets to protest against the mistreatment of a prominent activist, Jawar Mohammed.
Jawar who is a media entrepreneur had organized protests that brought Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to power last year.
The security forces have reportedly surrounded the building of the activist.
According to the reports by the local media, the protests took place in Addis Ababa, Adama, Ambo, Harar, and Jimma.
Last Tuesday, Abiy had warned against media owners “fomenting unrest.” That night, security forces surrounded Jawar’s house and the government attempted to withdraw his security detail, Jawar told Reuters.
Jawar, an Ethiopian-born U.S. citizen, is an activist from the Oromo ethnic group, the country’s largest. Abiy is also an Oromo.
Jawar’s wide reach — his Facebook page has 1.75 million followers — means he can quickly mobilize demonstrators.
Some Ethiopians have criticized him for using ethnically tinged language, but many young Oromo men consider him a hero who brought the political change that resulted in Abiy’s appointment last year.
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