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| Oromia: Several dead in Ethiopia festival stampede | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Several people have been killed in a stampede in Ethiopia's Oromia region after police fired tear gas and warning shots to disperse a protest. | Several people have been killed in a stampede in Ethiopia's Oromia region after police fired tear gas and warning shots to disperse a protest. |
| Thousands had gathered for a religious festival in Bishoftu, 40km (25 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa. | |
| Officials responded after anti-government protesters threw stones and bottles, reports said. There was panic and some people fell into a ditch. | |
| There have been months of deadly clashes in Ethiopia recently. | |
| People in the Oromia and Amhara regions have complained about political and economic marginalisation. | |
| Crowds at Sunday's Oromo festival chanted "We need freedom" and "We need justice", witnesses said. | |
| Some participants crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of Oromo protests. | |
| At least 50 people were killed, the opposition said, a number that has not been officially confirmed. | |
| Ethiopia's government said in a statement that "lives were lost", adding: "Those responsible will face justice". | |
| The unrest was sparked last November by a plan to expand the capital into Oromia. This led to fears that farmers from the Oromo ethnic group, the largest in Ethiopia, would be displaced. | |
| The plan was later dropped but protests continued, highlighting issues such as marginalisation and human rights. |