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1000s of Ethiopians stage protest against ISIL terrorists

Wednesday, 22 April 2015 3:44 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 22 April 2015 3:45 PM ]

Demonstrators hold signs during an anti-ISIL protest in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, April 22, 2015. © AFP

Over 100,000 Ethiopians have held a demonstration to condemn the recent execution of some 30 of their fellow countrymen in Libya by the Takfiri ISIL militants.

Protesters took to the streets of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to attend Wednesday’s government-sponsored march, demanding revenge for the blood of the Ethiopian victims.

A 29-minute video purportedly made by ISIL and posted on social media sites on April 19 appeared to show the ISIL terrorists beheading a group of around 12 Ethiopian Christian men on a beach and shooting at least 16 others in a desert area in Libya. The victims are said to have been captured in the North African country while trying to reach Europe.

An image grab taken on April 19, 2015 from a video reportedly released by the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group, purportedly shows men described as Ethiopian Christians captured in Libya kneeling on the ground in front of masked terrorists before their execution on a beach at an undisclosed location in Libya. © AFP

Ahaza Kassaye, the mother of one of the victims identified as Eyasu Yikunoamlak, said the massive turnout at Wednesday’s demonstration was soothing.

"I'm happy now. I'm very happy. I was just mourning the death of my son with family members and my neighbors. I never expected this to happen," she said.

Demonstrators also called on the Ethiopian government to tackle the problem of poor living conditions in the African country so that people would not travel abroad for work. They further called for the closure of illegal border crossings and the arrest of human traffickers.

Demonstrators hold signs during an anti-ISIL rally in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, April 22, 2015. © AFP

The march at some point turned violent as police clashed with stone-throwing protesters and arrested at least 100 protesters consequently.

ISIL, with members from a number of Western countries, controls parts of Iraq and Syria, and has been involved in a series of heinous crimes against civilians and government forces in the two Arab countries.

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