They were triggered by students in Ambo town, some 120 kilometers (74 miles) west of the capital Addis Ababa. The students were protesting against a controversial government plan dubbed "Addis Ababa and Oromia Special Zone Integrated Master Plan”. The Ethiopian government maintained that the purpose of the plan was to amalgamate eight towns in Oromia Special Zone with Addis Ababa. The town of Sabata, located 20 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa, was part of the "Master Plan." "If government claims peace is returning because of soldiers' presence, then it isn't peace,” Gemechu told DW.

Source: Ethiopian News February 10, 2017 12:00 UTC