BISHOFTU, Ethiopia: Dozens of people were feared dead in a stampede Sunday near the Ethiopian capital after police fired tear gas at protesters during a religious festival, with opposition groups putting the death toll above 100.
The government indicated only that there had been “loss of lives” after thousands of people gathered to take part in the Irreecha ceremony, in which the Oromo community marks the end of the rainy season.
“The annual Irreecha (thanksgiving) festival has been disrupted due to a violence created by some groups...Loss of lives has occurred due to a stampede,” read a government statement published by state media.
Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, told AFP there had been many fatalities.
“Bodies are being collected by the government. But what I hear from people on the ground is that the number of dead is more than one hundred,” said Gudina.
It was not possible to obtain independent verification of the number of fatalities after the ceremony at a sacred lake in the town of Bishoftu.
Some festival participants had crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of Oromo anti-government protests, according to an AFP photographer.
The event then quickly degenerated, with protesters throwing stones and bottles and security forces responding with baton charges and then tear gas grenades.
The tear gas caused panic and at least 50 people fell on top of each other into a ditch.
The AFP photographer said earlier he saw between 15 and 20 bodies that were not moving, some clearly dead.
Dozens die in Ethiopia stampede
Dozens die in Ethiopia stampede
Spain urges EU to create joint army amid Greenland dispute
- EU should integrate defense industry and assemble coalition of the willing, Spain foreign minister says
- Joint EU military more efficient than separate national forces, Albares says
ZURICH: Spain is urging the EU to move toward creating a joint army for the bloc as a deterrence measure, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in comments to Reuters on Wednesday ahead of a day of meetings in Davos.
The region should focus first on bringing together its tangible assets to properly integrate its defense industry, and then mobilizing a coalition of the willing, the foreign minister said.
The concern over whether European citizens would be willing to assemble militarily is a “legitimate debate”, but the chance of assembling a critical mass was higher as a bloc than on a national level, Albares said, adding: “A joint effort would be more efficient than 27 separate national armies.”
The comments come ahead of an emergency meeting between EU leaders later on Thursday in Brussels to coordinate a joint response to US President Trump’s threats to buy or annex Greenland. A Council spokesperson confirmed late on Wednesday the meeting will still take place despite Trump’s announcement on social media that he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had “formed the framework of a deal”.
Albares, speaking after a meeting in Delhi on Wednesday with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar which included talks on deeper defense ties, stressed that the intention of such an army was not to replace NATO, underscoring the importance of the transatlantic alliance.
“But we need to demonstrate that Europe is not a place that will let itself be coerced militarily or economically,” Albares said.
His position remained unchanged despite Trump rowing back on his Greenland threats after speaking to Rutte, a senior foreign official said, adding that Spain was “glad a pathway for dialogue had been opened within the NATO framework, if that pathway is confirmed.”
The concept of integrating national military forces into a supranational European army was first proposed in 1951 to counter the Soviet Union and ensure German rearmament did not threaten its neighbors, but was voted down by France’s parliament in 1954.
“The idea of European defense was part of the origin of the EU. It is up to my generation to finish this task,” Albares said.
