Women and children were seen running from the scene in distress. Photo: Screenshot
Police forces in Ethiopia deployed tear gas on hundreds of thousands of Muslims gathered for prayer in Addis Abeba to mark the holy day Eid al-Fitr on Monday.
Police said the intervention had been necessary because some attendees were using the prayer, marking the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, to protest the killing of at least 12 Muslims in the northern city Gondar last week.
Several women were seen visibly distraught after being separated with their children. Harun Media used its Facebook page to reconnect separated children with their families. What prompted the gunshots and the teargas was not immediately clear, and a short statement by the city police simply described it as “unrest instigated by a few individuals.” The event was being attended by hundreds of thousands of Muslims from the city.
Worshippers were attacked by an unknown militia last week during a funeral ceremony in the mainly Christian town.
The protesters had tried to cause chaos and destroy property during the prayer ceremony, police said in a statement. Officers have launched an investigation into the exact cause of the incident, police inspector Markos Tadesse told dpa.According to eyewitnesses, there were multiple arrests at the historic Meskel Square, where the annual prayer festival was held.
Videos on social media showed a nearly deserted square after the incident, with scattered shoes and religious objects left behind by fleeing worshippers. It was not initially clear whether people were injured in the chaos that resulted from the use of tear gas.
There has been great tension between the followers of Ethiopia’s two largest religions since the incident in Gondar on April 26.
