Oromia, the largest state in Ethiopia, had parts of it in turmoil especially in the last two weeks. The protests started on November 19 in Ginchi town (Western Shewa zone) following local officials transferring part of a land that belonged to a school for another use. The protests spread to several towns with other regional and national demands featuring in them. The controversial draft plan for the integrated development of Addis Ababa (a.k.a. Finfine) and surrounding Oromia towns was the main thrust of the protests while various other demands featured in various localities. The draft plan was also the reason for the 2014 protests that seemed to halt its progress. Massive displacement of Oromo farmers, making Affan Oromo a federal working language, unfair fees levied on farmers for local militia uniforms, restrictive licensing laws, corruption and other maladministration issues were raised by the protesters. Maladministration as an underlying cause Prime Minister Hailemariam chaired a upper-level government panel last month to discuss a study on good governance practices and failures. The Panel centered on the findings of the study, how far good governance is practiced, challenges faced and the way forward. The study squared on rent-seeking as a major challenge, especially [...]
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