Addis Ababa city mayor, Adanech Abibie claimed on Thursday “politically motivated entities” are the cause of high prices of Teff grain in the Ethiopian capital.
In a Facebook post, the mayor said those “entities” who are trying to gain political profit by preventing the entry of Teff in the city to cause pressure on the city’s population, especially of civil servants will not succeed.
Adanech further claimed large quantities of Teff and other grains are currently entering the city in bulk from the surrounding Oromia region with the coordination of farmers’ cooperatives to counteract the “human made shortage”.
In recent weeks, Addis Ababa based Netizens are reporting the price of Teff, Ethiopia’s staple grain has increased by up to two fold, putting additional burden on an already impoverished population.
On Tuesday, the Addis Ababa mayor claimed high level of migration from some regions are happening with the aim to overthrow the current government and seize power.
Last month, Adanech similarly claimed migration from other parts of Ethiopia to Addis Ababa and illegal secret organizations are a danger to the city’s peace and security.
Adanech hasn’t specified who “those dangerous entities and organizations” are during her recent statements.
The latest flurry of statements by the Addis Ababa mayor has been denounced by a cross-section of Ethiopians on social media and by Ethiopian political parties, as incitement to violence and hate speech.
Adanech’s “inflammatory” statements come as passengers from other regions of Ethiopia especially from Amhara region complain of routine government backed efforts to block them from entering Addis Ababa.
Multiple reports indicate the Addis Ababa bound passengers are also routinely extorted, robbed, physically assaulted and in some cases killed by Oromia region security forces.
