According to The Reporter, violent protests against a court’s decision over a disputed plot of land claimed 23 lives and left hundreds of houses and businesses ablaze in Dilla and its surrounding areas. Although the regional authorities confirm only 23 deaths, other reports raise the number to 63.
The reports indicate that the Dilla city administration had given a plot of land in town for business-people to develop an existing market. However, Coffee Union members disputed the decision, claiming ownership of the land. The case was taken to court, and on Friday, October 7, 2016, the court ruled in favor of Dilla town’s business-people. Members of the Coffee Union then took to the streets in protest of the ruling.
According to the report, the protest took a violent turn on Saturday, and towns including Yirga Chefe were also affected. The Reporter’s sources said that members of the Gedio ethnic group targeted business owners from other ethnic groups who have been in business there for years. However, the regional administration denies the ethnic nature of the violence.
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