"For the sake of maintaining public order the government believes that [the] temporary suspension of certain expression rights is warranted," Reda said, as quoted by the BBC.
#Ethiopia has declared a 6 months state of emergency follwing months of anti-government protests by members of #Oromia & #Amhara ethnic grps
— Abdifitah Ibrahim (@Agayare) 9 октября 2016 г.
An anti-government protest during a religious festival in the town of Bishoftu, Oromia region, on Sunday caused a deadly stampede, with over 50 people being killed. The demonstrations over the recent months have been caused by the plans of the government to integrate parts of Oromia into the country's capital Addis Ababa administrative boundaries, which sparked fears of unfair farmland confiscations and informal settlement marginalization.
Protests have been ongoing in Addis Ababa, as well as in the Oromia and Amhara regions in response to the stampede. Protesters blamed the stampede on security forces firing bullets and tear gas into the crowd, while the government denied the allegations.
The state of emergency, imposed due to the protests, is set to last for six months and involve banning protests.
