In November 2015, Ethiopia’s Oromo people (35% of population) launched protests against Addis Ababa’s “Master Plan” to expand the capital into Oromia farmland—evolving into Ethiopia’s largest anti-government movement since the 1970s, killing 1,000+ protesters and ultimately forcing Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s 2018 resignation.

The Oromo (Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group) and Amhara (second-largest) united against the ruling TPLF (Tigray People’s Liberation Front), which dominated politics despite Tigrayans comprising only 6% of the population. Protests demanded democratic reforms, political prisoners’ release, and economic equity.

Security forces killed over 1,000 protesters (2015-2018), arrested tens of thousands, and deployed martial law. The government labeled dissidents “terrorists,” restricting internet and arresting journalists. International pressure mounted as diaspora Oromos amplified abuses globally.

In February 2018, Desalegn resigned. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s first Oromo PM, assumed power promising reforms—releasing prisoners, inviting exiled dissidents, and making peace with Eritrea (winning 2019 Nobel Peace Prize). However, ethnic tensions persisted, culminating in 2020-2022 Tigray War killing 600,000+.

The Oromo protests toppled a government but didn’t resolve Ethiopia’s ethnic federalism tensions, which continue fragmenting the nation.

Sources: BBC Africa, Al Jazeera, Human Rights Watch, The Guardian, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission