Demonstrators march peacefully through Gondar in rare protest

A peaceful demonstration took place Sunday morning in Gondar town to demand the release of prisoners in connection with the identity question of the Wolkait and Tegede people, according to reports. Thousands of demonstrators carrying flags and slogans gathered about 8 p.m. in various parts of the town, peacefully marching through the streets to Meskel Square of the central gathering place. Demonstration was peaceful and there was no property damage reported for the entire morning during the demonstration. The demonstrators were seen carrying signs that read: “Wolkait is Amahara”, “Stop mass killing of Amhara people” and “Restore the historic border”. Many bystanders agreed that the demonstrators and police acted professionally, stopping any rioters who were about to hurl rocks and other objects at security officers. Such protests are rare in a country where police are feared as heavy-handed and the government is seen as repressive.
Authorities say the demonstration was illegal. Head of the Amhara Regional State, Nigussu Tilahun said that application for a demonstration was never made and no permit has been granted.
Access to the internet in the town was slow and erratic in what seemed a bid to stamp out unrest, sources said. Activists have been relying on social networking services including Twitter and Facebook to organise the protest and diffuse the message.
The unrest sparked two weeks ago when four individual members of the Welkait Committee were detained by an anti-terrorism task force and brought to Addis Ababa. A fifth member, Demeke Zewde (Col), opened fire on the taskforce when they tried to arrest him, which caused anger and violence in the town. At least eight people were killed and many more wounded then. The dispute concerns the district Wolkait that has Tigrayan and Amhara residents. Since 1990’s, the district has been connected to the Tigray region, something which some members of the Amhara community contest. The Wolkait committee have been presenting petition to regional and federal governments against this decision.