A new tax levied by authorities on small businesses and vendors has reportedly led to protests in Ethiopia’s Oromia region with the military and police deployed to bring the situation under control. Residents in Ambo city in Oromia damaged two state-owned vehicles, according to Addis Standard newspaper, while businesses in Woliso town shut their businesses in protest. The paper also quoted state officials saying that even though the situation was currently under control, there were plans for region-wide protests. The new reports from Oromia are significant given that it was the genesis of anti-government protests that hit the country in Nov. 2015. The Ethiopian government reacted with force to the protests, leading to the death of 669 protesters, according to a government-mandated investigation.

Source: Ethiopian News July 19, 2017 09:11 UTC