Hundreds of people have been detained in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region as a banned demonstration was brutally dispersed by the security forces.
Four political parties had called for the protest in Mekelle, the region’s main city, to highlight the continued suffering in Tigray following the end of a two-year civil war last November.
They have been angered by the interim leadership’s handling of affairs since the African Union-brokered agreement to end the conflict was signed.
The protesters were calling for more to be done to help the return of the thousands of people who fled during the war and to deal with the alleged fraud that has hampered the distribution of humanitarian aid – among other issues.
But the interim authorities banned the protest, saying the timing was inappropriate and aimed at causing chaos.
Individuals who gathered at Romanat Square in Mekelle to join the rally were promptly arrested. Subsequent attempts to regroup and demonstrate were dispersed by security forces.
One of the co-ordinators told the BBC: "We arrived at the peaceful demonstration site in the morning, but a significant deployment of soldiers was in place, apprehending anyone who approached and sending them to prison."
Several armed groups have been patrolling the city on foot and in vehicles, meaning normal business activities have closed.
Witnesses have told the BBC how people were beaten by the security forces, sending photos of backs marked by whip lashes.
Some of them allege that they have been denied access to hospitals for treatment.
The whereabouts of some of those arrested was not known, sources said.
Those detained include journalists, university lecturers, activists, members and leaders of the opposition parties.
