For the last two days and nights, Oromo activists, mostly women, in London, the UK, have camped in front of the Prime Minister Office

For the last two days and nights, Oromo activists, mostly women, in London, the UK, have camped in front of the Prime Minister Office, Number 10, in order to draw attention to the violent crackdown that the Ethiopian government has been unleashing on peaceful Oromo protesters in Oromia.

Oromo students in particular, and the Oromo public in general, have been protesting against the Ethiopian Federal government’s Master Plan to evict millions of Oromo farmers from their farmlands in order to transfer the ownership of the land to government-affiliated investors, especially in the locality around the capital, Addis Ababa (Finfinne) – under the cover of “development.” While the Oromo protests have been peaceful, the government’s response has been militaristic; according to the last media reports, over the last months, more than 130 Oromo persons were killed; more than 2,000 were wounded; more than 35,000 have been imprisoned; and more than 800 have disappeared – by Ethiopian government’s security forces. Despite these atrocities bordering genocide, the moral leaders of this world, especially Western countries, have largely remained silent.

In demonstrations since early December 2015, Oromo activities around the globe have been calling on the international community to break its silence and speak against the crime against humanity being waged by the Ethiopian Federal government against the Oromo people. Changing their tactics and braving London’s cold weather over the last two nights, Oromo activists in London have now camped outside the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Office, also known as Number 10, to plea to PM David Cameron to break his silence. Ethiopia is the largest recipient of UK’s financial assistance; over the years, there have been reports indicating the Ethiopian government’s diversion of UK’s financial assistance to finance its abuses of human rights. Oromo activists believe that the UK government can help stop the deteriorating human rights conditions of the Oromo people.

Here are some photos from outside Number 10 where Oromo activists have camped out.