Two months ago, a number of students (mostly female) were abducted from the Dembi Dollo University in Ethiopia. As at the time of the incident, there was no press statement from any state authorities and only a few media outlets covered the news. It’s now Day 54 (dated Jan 28, 2020) and counting, the deepened frustration of concerned citizens has sparked a nationwide campaign demanding for answers from the government.
Thousands of Ethiopians have taken to the streets and social media to pressure the government to take proactive measures to ensure that the girls return home safely with the hashtag #BringBackOurStudents. The movement echoes the #BringBackOurGirls activism in Nigeria over the mass kidnapping of schoolgirls in 2014.
According to Yared Hailemariam, director of the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia: “Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has been praised for appointing women to prominent positions “but with regard to the abducted girls, in its silence, it is violating a tremendous number of their human rights.”
It’s still not clear the exact number of the abducted students but the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia puts the number at 18 while Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s press secretary Nigussu Tilahun claims it is 21. No groups have claimed responsibility for the abductions but security officials within the Oromia region have suggested that Oromo Liberation Army is behind the kidnappings.