This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, tensions rose in the Ethiopian city of Hawassa as protesters blocked roads and burned tires in response to security forces thwarting a meeting to declare a new Sidama region.
The declaration of a new region would be a test of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government's commitment to peaceful political reforms, amidst increasing demands from competing ethno-nationalist groups.
According to witnesses, Hawassa, the capital of the multi-ethnic Southern Nations region, was largely shut down, with almost all shops closed and few cars on the streets.
Protesters, wearing traditional red, white, and yellow striped Sidama scarves and hats, marched to the venue of a planned meeting of Sidama elders and youth, but were prevented from accessing it by security forces.
Activists told Reuters that mobile data had been blocked in an apparent move to impair their means of communication.
There were no immediate reports of violence, but the situation in Hawassa, 275 km from the national capital Addis Ababa, remained tense.
