State Emergency Succeded in Quashing Unrest - Ethiopian MinisterFebruary 2, 2017 - In an interview with the Financial Times, Negeri Lencho, the communications minister, said the state of emergency imposed in October had succeeded in quashing a wave of nationwide anti-government protests that left hundreds of people dead. But in an apparent acknowledgment of the failings of the government’s state-driven development model, he admitted that anger over high unemployment was a factor behind the unrest. “The government educated the youth and there was not enough employment,” Mr Lencho said. “So the extremists used this fertile ground to incite violence.”More than 500 people have been killed and tens of thousands detained over the past 18 months as anti-government protests spread across the country. The violence, which also targeted foreign-owned business, and the autocratic government’s response, has rattled investors.

Source: Ethiopian News February 02, 2017 22:46 UTC