Gondar strikes defying state of emergency

ESAT News (October 17, 2017)

Schools, businesses and transportation were shut down on Monday as residents of Gondar began a three-day strike defying the state of emergency declared last week.

Organizers told ESAT that the strike was a dismissal to the state of emergency which bans any strikes, protest demonstrations and public gatherings. They said the strike was also aimed at denouncing the recent massacres and gross violations of human rights being perpetrated across Ethiopia, mainly in Amhara and Oromo regions,including the mass murder of Irreecha festival goers.

The city of Gondar is the first to go on a strike since the declaration of the state of emergency a week ago. Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara region, had a series of stay at home strikes just prior to the declaration of the state of emergency.

Attempt by security forces to force residents open businesses were to no avail, according to organizers.

Gondar and Bahir Dar, two major cities in northern Ethiopia, have seen deadly protests since July when thousands of residents held demonstrations denouncing the regime and in support of the campaign to restore Welkait Tegede in North Gondar to the region. The campaign denounces the illegal annexation of the area  into the Tigray region by the TPLF minority regime.