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The report was a fabrication - Ethiopian Embassy
We have read the article that appeared in the “Inside Africa” column of your newspaper on October 3, 2016 titled “Deadly Stampede at Ethiopia protest.”
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We appreciate that you have been following events and covering news reports on Ethiopia.
The current article on the recent deadly stampede in Ethiopia is way off the reality on the ground.
The Ethiopian Embassy in Accra has, therefore, found it necessary to respond to the article in order to avoid confusion and set the record straight with regard to what happened at the scene.
The Irrecha festival, which is a thanksgiving ceremony of the Oromo people, one of the largest ethnic groups in Ethiopia, was held in Bishoftu town, 45kms south of the capital, Addis Ababa. Irrecha is a colourful annual event where all members of the Oromo ethnic group, irrespective of religious, clan and political affiliations come together to celebrate the event.
What made this year’s Irrecha festivity unique was the fact that the Oromo Aba Gedas had been making all efforts to ensure that the festival that promotes peace and tolerance was successful and so a number of works were put in place to get the celebration to be registered by the UNESCO.
The festival began peacefully until violent forces, who had for days been ready to disrupt the event, tried to turn the situation into a tragic one.
What happened was when the Aba Gadas (Traditional elders) were trying to preside over the festival, the violent forces took control of the stage which turned the situation into a chaotic one.
These forces were seen controlling the podium and snatching the microphone.
Regrettably, 55 people lost their lives following the stampede.
The report in your newspaper, which refers to the description of troops and a helicopter gunship opening fire, and driving people off the cliff and into a lake was, thus, an utter fabrication.
The truth is that the security forces displayed total restraint and did not use live bullets, and this has been verified by scores of eye witnesses accounts, the Aba Gadas themselves, and autopsy reports of the dead.
Embassy of Ethiopia in Accra