![]() Some reports stated that police began dispersing people while they were peacefully celebrating the day at the square. Later, security forces fired tear gas and plastic bullets at people who came out to celebrate the Adwa Victory Day at Menelik II Square. ![]() In an effort to keep the main celebration event at Meskel Square, government security forces, including the ENDF, federal police, and Addis Ababa police blocked roads to Menelik II Square and restricted public access to the area. Menelik II’s expansion of the Ethiopian empire into Oromia, Somali, Afar, Gambela, Benshangul/Gumuz, and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region (SNNPR) make him a historically divisive figure, and statues and other public memorials of him are contested in Ethiopia’s public spaces. Most residents of Addis Ababa prefer to celebrate the day at Menelik II Square in Piyasa in Addis Ababa, where the statue of King Menelik II is located.5 This year, the government-sponsored celebration of the Adwa Victory Day was held at Meskel square, with various programs, including a military parade by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF). However, like last year, tensions were high in the capital city, Addis Ababa, in connection with the location of the celebration *(for more details on last year’s celebration, see * EPO Weekly: 26 February-4 March 2022). In most parts of the country, the day was celebrated peacefully. On 2 March, Ethiopians celebrated the 127th Adwa Victory Day – a celebration of the victory of Ethiopian forces under King Menelik II over Italian forces in March 1896. The protests continued in these three towns on 2 March. In Adola, police dispersed protesters by beating them. The next day, similar protests were held in Bule Hora town in West Guji zone, and Adola and Shakeso towns in Guji zone. Oromia regional special forces intervened and fired live bullets, reportedly killing three protesters and injuring two others. On 28 February, residents of Bore town in Guji zone protested the new restructuring of Negele town under the newly established East Borena zone. ACLED records seven protest events in connection with these new arrangements in the region ( see map below). Last week, the regional government of Oromia announced the rearrangement and reestablishment of six cities, a change of the administrative levels for nine cities, and the establishment of a new zone – East Borena zone – in the region. ![]() A number of protests opposing a newly announced rearrangement of administrative levels in Oromia region were reported, with two protests being violently dispersed. While violence has subsided in Ethiopia recently, there was an uptick in demonstration activity last week compared to the previous weeks.
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