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Activists claim security forces have killed at least seven students in more than two weeks across Ethiopia’s Oromia state, where students have been protesting a government plan to expand the area of the capital, Addis Ababa, into Oromia. Oromia police have confirmed three fatalities in what it termed provocations by “ anti-peace elements .” Images of  severely injured students  have been posted on social media, and hundreds of other protesters have reportedly been rounded up in a crackdown on those demonstrating against several state-led development projects. Oromo students, the opposition and diaspora activists liken the proposed Addis Ababa and the Surrounding Oromia Special Zone Integrated Development Plan, or the Master Plan, to a  land grab . They fear that it will displace Oromo farmers and undermine Oromia’s interests by  expanding  Addis Ababa’s boundaries. Addis Ababa is in the state of Oromia and serves as the regional and federal capital. In theory, the Ethiopian c

The construction of the first phase of the Modjo-Hawassa Expressway project, stretching from Modjo to Meki begins today, December, 10, 2015, Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported. The road construction requires 3.6 billion Birr investment, according to Samson Wondimu, Public Relations Director at the Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA). The Modjo-Hawassa Expressway road construction secures finance from African Development Bank, Exim Banks of Korea, China and World Bank. The road construction project begins in the presence of high government officials and invited guests. Source: Fana Broadcasting Corporate

photo from VOA Clashes between police and protesters in Ethiopia's Oromia region have left several people dead, according to officials and regional opposition leaders. Oromia has seen three weeks of protests over a government plan to integrate parts of the region with the capital, Addis Ababa. Critics say the plan will undermine local rule and cause local farmers to lose their land. Witnesses say police have used force to contain or shut down protests, including one that took place Thursday in the town of Bako.   "Today in Bako city when the students came out to protest, people joined them and they started firing live rounds and hit some students," a witness told VOA's Horn of Africa Service. There was no word on whether anyone was killed. Bloomberg news quotes a prominent opposition leader, Bekele Nega, as saying police have killed 10 students taking part in the ongoing protests.   Ethiopia's communications minister, Getachew Reda, put the number

El Niño is making life very difficult for people in Ethiopia. The U.N. warned in late November that as many as 100,000 people could be displaced by flooding in the northern part of the country. Meanwhile, drought to the south will leave more than 10 million people in need of food aid, Save the Children has warned. In total, more than 15 million people in Ethiopia may need some sort of assistance in 2016. “The worst drought in Ethiopia for 50 years is happening right now … world leaders … must take the opportunity to wake up and act before it’s too late,” said John Graham, Save the Children’s Ethiopia country director, in a statement. “We know that if we take the right steps together we can prevent the suffering of millions, as well as alleviating the overwhelming and enduring poverty that these kinds of acute emergencies tend to leave in their wake.” Estimates from just a few weeks ago projected that 8 million Ethiopians would need food assistance. The jump to 10 million is leadi

Photo from Global voices Over the past two weeks, students in Ethiopia’s largest regional state, Oromia, have been protesting against a government plan to expand the area of the capital, Addis Ababa, into Oromia.  Reports  suggest security forces used  violence  including live ammunition to disperse crowds of peaceful demonstrators in the compounds of universities in Oromia. According to  Human Rights Watch , at least  three students  were killed and hundreds were injured across the region as security forces used excessive force to disperse student protesters. Other reports put the number of students killed up to  ten . Although protesters are primarily university students, in some instances, high school and primary school children were also reportedly involved in intense confrontations with government forces. At least nine students  were killed  by government forces in May 2014 while protesting over the same issue. The persecution of Oromo people The students argue that