100,000 Ethiopians march against ISIL killings in Libya

ADDIS ABABA // More than 100,000 people protested in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday, angry at the killing of Ethiopian Christians in Libya by ISIL, as well as their government’s failure to raise living standards, as poverty fuels the flow of migrants through dangerous areas.

The government-supported march at Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square turned violent as stone-throwing protesters clashed with police, who arrested at least 100 people.

It came after a video released on Sunday by ISIL appeared to show Ethiopians being beheaded or shot. The victims are widely believed to have been captured in Libya while trying to reach Europe.

Ahaza Kassaye, the mother of Eyasu Yikunoamlak, one of the victims, said she was overwhelmed by the turnout at Wednesday’s protest.

“I’m happy now. I’m very happy. I was just mourning the death of my son with family members and my neighbours. I never expected this to happen,” she said.

Ms Ahaza, who had to seek shelter in a cafe when the protest turned violent, said she hoped the government would react to the killings by closing all illegal border crossings and arresting suspected human traffickers.

While the killings have angered many in Ethiopia, some young people in Addis Ababa said they they would still attempt the perilous journey to Europe – often via Sudan and then Libya – if they had enough money to cover the smugglers’ fees.

Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn said that while poverty was the root cause of the migrations, smugglers were to blame for encouraging poor people to pursue what he called “the death journey”.

* Associated Press