Ethiopian Police Urged to Take Measures Around Campus Following ClashEthiopian Education Ministry Tuesday urged police to take security measures to enable students of Addis Ababa University to continue their classes peacefully beginning on Wednesday.Police should take legal measures to bring peace and tranquillity on the university campus because the students are still engaged in destabilizing the situation and destroying public property, said Education Minister Genet Zewde here. She said the government will provide security for those students who want to resume their classes on Wednesday, adding that failure to resume classes will mean voluntary withdrawal. The ministry's remark came in the wake of continuing clashes between riot police and students who have not yet resumed their classes till Tuesday afternoon. The university students launched a demonstration last week, pressing the university authorities to lift a ban on a student organization and a publication of it. During the demonstration last Wednesday, the students clashed with the riot police, leaving at least 45 students injured. The Education Ministry Monday called on the students to resume their classes before 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday, warning that anyone fails to meet the ultimatum will be "considered as voluntary withdrawal from the university". Also on Monday, the ministry held a two-hour meeting with the students but they did not reach any agreement. The students reportedly demanded the government to remove police from the campus and to formally apologize to the students for the incidents that occurred between the police and the students. They also demanded the authorities concerned to release the exact figures of casualties and detained students. |
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