These are the first people charged in the October stampede at a religious festival in the restive Oromia region amid months of anti-government protests.

The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate says Tufa Melka is accused of snatching a microphone from community leaders and causing trouble during the festival, while Kedir Bedasso is accused of orchestrating the violence by phone.

The government has said the stampede south of the capital, Addis Ababa, killed 55 but opposition groups and activists say the toll was much higher. The state of emergency was declared three days later as protests demanding wider political freedoms engulfed the capital.

--News24--

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