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Rachel Feutz
Phillips
AP English III
12 December 2016

Ethiopias Future: Political Unity or Instability?

Ethiopia is a developing country that grew substantially in 2015; however, the country's progress
came to a halt early in 2016. A wave of protests smothered Ethiopia early in 2016 and the reigning
political party, the EPRDF, is struggling to keep their head above the water. Most protests are peaceful,
but reach violent conclusions. These results lead the government to point fingers instead of solving the
important issues Ethiopians are presenting them. However, the protests reveal a harmonious future for the
East African country because protest groups are displaying strong organization, thus making the
government take steps towards complying with citizens demands for political, social, and economical
equality.
The Oromo people makeup the majority of Ethiopia's demography, but Oromos believe to have
the least political recognition, sparking the anti-government protests. According to author Asafa Jalata,
more than half of the country's economic resources come from Oromia, Ethiopia's most abundant region
of natural resources. The Oromo dominate the population. Therefore, it is no surprise Oromos are
unsatisfied with the lack of recognition they receive from the reigning authoritarian political party,
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). According to political blogger, Daniel
Berhane, the Oromo feel a sense of "victimhood extending back 150 years" and "the scars are still alive,
such as how the Oromo language was suppressed until 20 years ago". The Oromo, bonded together by
their negative feelings towards the government, seek self-determination of their nation.

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This is not the first time the majority attacked the EPRDF, but this is the first time all branches of
Oromo people have joined together in coordinated action to achieve democracy (Jalata). The Oromo are
not the only ethnic group with resentful feelings directed towards the government. Author Asafa Jalata
declares the protests inspire other ethnic groups such as the Amhara, the second largest ethnic group in
Ethiopia, to join the fight. The leadership and support grows as time goes on, which has "shaken the
region's foundation". The growing protests started as an "isolated incident" between the Oromo and the
government, but have become a nationwide revolution against the tyrannical and negligent
EPRDF("Ethiopia cracks down").
Activist groups such as the Qeerroo, which the Oromo youth created, represent the future of
Ethiopia. Most activist groups support the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) that the EPRDF pushed out of
government positions. The EPRDF is a political party controlled by the Tigray ethnic group. The Tigray
make up less than 7% of the country's population. Asafa Jalata reports that the Qeerroo want to replace
the Tigrayan EPRDF with the OLF because the Oromo are the majority and represent "Oromo
nationalism". The Qeerroo's successful organization of demonstrations and protests present a hopeful
outlook for the years to come. Protester demands of recreating the government and not simply revising the
current political and cultural structure is edging the country "closer to the brink" of a new power
("Ethiopia cracks down").
The immense number of Ethiopian protesters peacefully insisting change reflects the destiny of
the country. According to Awol K. Allo, the government has reached the edge of a cliff, and if they
continue neglecting citizens it will fall over the edge. The EPRDF has no choice, but to satisfy the
people's desires because Ethiopia has made huge steps in development, and cannot afford the chaos that
comes with discord. A security analyst observed Ethiopia's current situation and concluded that the
EPRDF are "a victim of it's own success" because they pledged to provide the people with what the
people want. Ethiopians are now asking for the EPRDF to follow through with their promises, but the

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government is instead following through with "bullets and violence" (qtd. In "What do Oromo protests
mean"). Guns and teargas are not making the people back down, but those weapons did disrupt the
consistent series of protests. Addis Ababa, the capital, has been calm recently, but this silent period is
because anti-government protesters would rather endure a dictatorship than face the hardships tied to civil
war ("Ethiopia cracks down"). The violence is not favorable, but the evident unraveling of the obstinate
government is a favorable sign of impending peace
When violence did not stop the protests, the government declared a six month state of emergency
on October 9, 2016. Oromia is under Martial Law, the government shutdown the internet, and there is
zero tolerance for protesting. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn argues that the
government "has no choice, but to enforce the law" (qtd. in "What is behind Ethiopia's wave"). According
to Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, the government implemented the state of emergency in order to
control the violence that is "jeopardising the peace and security of the country" (qtd. in "Ethiopia declares
state of emergency"). This contrasts the opinion of protesters, who believe the source of the violence
traces back to the regime. Ethiopians have lost the freedom to express their dissent, and Reporters without
Borders reports that Ethiopia's current ranking on the Press Freedom Index is 142 out 180 recorded
countries (qtd. in "Ethiopia: many dead"). Outlying and rambunctious anti-government rebel groups
vandalized privately owned buildings during a surge of protests earlier in the year. According to
government officials, these acts were the "last straw", and stimulated the declaration of a state of
emergency (qtd. in "Ethiopia cracks down"). However, the rebel groups do not represent the
anti-government movement.
Rebel groups are the government's scapegoat for all of the violence arising at protests. The future
of political unity may seem unlikely since the government is not admitting to their abundance of fallacies.
Government spokesman, Getachew Reda argues that "the Oromo people can argue the expansion of
Addis Ababa, but organized gangs disrupted protests with violent behavior." (qtd. in "What do Oromo

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protests mean''). Protesters admit there are people who are behaving in a way that is hindering their fight
for self-determination, but the government seems to think the regime is innocent. According to the Prime
Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, "the government is not using extreme violence" (qtd. in "Ethiopia
denies police violence"), but protesters would not agree with this statement. Hopes for harmony are bleak
when the government responds stubbornly to the serious requests of oppressed Ethiopians. The Oromo
people and its supporters asked the government to release the thousands of protesters the regime detained,
but the government shows no signs of delivering this request ("The downside"). This example could surge
a sense of hopelessness inside of protesters, but instead it encourages citizens to fight for change.
Change will most likely occur if representatives within the government agree with the people. Not
a single government official is in agreeance with the Oromo people and representatives argue that the
OLF do not pose a "political threat" ("What is behind Ethiopia's wave"). Ethiopia does conduct free
elections; however, the EPRDF have won every election for over 20 years despite the fact that majority of
voters despise the regime. Parties other than the EPRDF did not win any parliamentary positions in 2015,
so the opposition claimed the reigning government manipulated the election's results ("Ethiopia denies
police violence"). After the series of protests in 2016 the next election will, most likely, not have a similar
outcome.
The events that have occurred in Ethiopia during 2016's latter months caught copious
non-ethiopians attention, and their opinions greatly influence the country's decisions. Amnesty
International summed up the past year in Ethiopia as "a vicious cycle of protests and totally avoidable
bloodshed" (qtd. in "The Oromo protests"). This claim ultimately stains the reputation of the once
respected government of Ethiopia. Human Rights Watch estimates the total number of protester deaths in
the past year exceeds 500 (qtd. in "Ethiopia denies police violence"). The government cannot be
complacent with this information, so reforms will take place in the future to protect the country's
reputation. The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, met up with the President and Prime Minister of

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Ethiopia, and the representatives discussed the states recent events. According to Merkel "in democracy
there always needs to be an opposition that has a voice -in the best case in parliament" (qtd. in "Ethiopia
denies police violence"). Due to what has occurred this year other countries have their eyes on Ethiopia,
so there will not be room for corruption and lies from the EPRDF.
Persistent protests have generated meaningful progress. Protests regarding Addis Ababa's
expansion into Oromo farmland caused the government to halt their plan; protesters declare this as a "step
in the right direction" ("Grumbling and rumbling"). The voice of the people cannot be silenced forever,
and the government cannot keep declaring states of emergency. Today the government is still obstinate,
but a statement from Hailemariam Desalegn, the country's Prime Minister, revealed the government is
relaxing its authoritarian grip. Desalegn accepted that the protests are due to unemployment and "lack of
good governance," and asserts, "building democratic culture will take some time. But we are on the right
track. It's improving" (qtd. in "Ethiopia: many dead"). As long as the people of Ethiopia continue to
express dissatisfaction with the countrys current power, change will be inevitable. The wave of distrust
that drowned the nation will eventually subside and leave behind a clear path towards political harmony.

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Works Cited
Allo, Awol K. "The Oromo Protests Have Changed Ethiopia." Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera, 21 Nov.
2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
Burke, Jason. "Ethiopia: Many Dead in Anti-government Protest." The Guardian. Guardian News and
Media, 02 Oct. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
"Ethiopia Cracks down on Protest." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 15 Oct. 2016. Web. 30
Nov. 2016.
"Ethiopia Denies 'extreme' Police Violence at Protests." News from Al Jazeera. N.p., 11
Oct. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
"Ethiopia Declares State of Emergency over Protests." News from Al Jazeera. N.p., 09 Oct.
2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
"Grumbling and Rumbling." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 26 Mar. 2016. Web. 30 Nov.
2016.
Jalata, Asafa. "Why the Oromo Protests Mark a Change in Ethiopia's Political Landscape."The
Conversation. N.p., 14 Aug. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
News, BBC. "What Do Oromo Protests Mean for Ethiopian Unity?" BBC News. N.p., 09 Mar. 2016.
Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
News, BBC. "What Is behind Ethiopia's Wave of Protests?" BBC News. N.p., 22 Aug. 2016. Web. 29
Nov. 2016.