2014 Addis Ababa Master Plan
{{POV|date=January 2022}}
{{short description|Controversial plan aimed at expansion of Addis Ababa's boundary into Oromia Zones of Ethiopia}}
The 2014 Addis Ababa Master Plan was a controversial plan to expand the boundaries of Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, by 1.1 million hectares into the Oromia Special Zone in April 2014.{{citation|title=Ethiopia's 'Master Plan' – good for development, damaging for minorities|journal=Blog |date=12 August 2014 |url=https://minorityrights.org/2014/08/12/ethiopias-master-plan-good-for-development-damaging-for-minorities-2/|access-date=August 12, 2014}}{{Citation|title=The Roots of Popular Mobilization in Ethiopia| date=16 June 2017 |url=https://theglobalobservatory.org/2017/06/ethiopia-protests-oromo-addis-ababa-master-plan/#:~:text=The%20protests%20in%20the%20Oromia,the%20Addis%20Ababa%20Master%20Plan).|access-date=June 16, 2017}} The plan was met with protests, particularly in the Oromia Region, with critics saying it would violate the 1995 Constitution.{{citation|title=Country Policy and Guidance Note Ethiopia Oromos including the Oromo Protests|url=https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5a1d65e14.pdf|date=November 2017}}
Background
The Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne was established in 2008 from parts of several zones in Oromia surrounding Addis Ababa. In 2011, Addis Ababa and the Oromia Special Zone established a joint project on common urban development issues, led by Kuma Demeksa.
The Ethiopian government, at the time led by the TPLF, met with other stakeholders in Adama in June 2013. They voiced their support for the project, claiming it was in Ethiopia's interest. The plan to expand the capital was done to accommodate the increasing demand for residential and commercial properties, because of a growing middle-class in Ethiopia.{{Citation|title=Data Analysis: The Roots of Popular Mobilization in Ethiopia| date=16 June 2017 |url=https://theglobalobservatory.org/2017/06/ethiopia-protests-oromo-addis-ababa-master-plan/#:~:text=The%20protests%20in%20the%20Oromia,the%20Addis%20Ababa%20Master%20Plan).|access-date=June 16, 2017}} The integration of Addis Ababa and the Oromia Special Zone would violate the 1995 Constitution{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} (which demarcated the capital from Oromia), and so it needed to be bypassed.{{citation|title=Enhancing Urban Resilience|url=http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/559781468196153638/pdf/Addis-Ababa-Enhancing-Urban-Resilience-city-strength-resilient-cities-program.pdf|date= July 2015}} By April 2014, the government was prepared to implement the Master Plan (which would seize surrounding town without consulting affected communities). This triggered protests from university students in Oromia, which were repressed by the government.{{citation|title=Why resist the Addis Abeba Master Plan? – A constitutional legal exploration|url=https://addisstandard.com/why-resist-the-addis-abeba-master-plan-a-constitutional-legal-exploration/|access-date=August 20, 2015}}
Protests
The proposed expansion of the boundaries of Addis Ababa ignited the 2014–2016 Oromo protests beginning on 25 April 2014; to which the government responded by shooting at and beating peaceful protesters.{{citation|title=Ethiopia: Brutal Crackdown on Protests|date=5 May 2014 |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/05/ethiopia-brutal-crackdown-protests|access-date=May 5, 2014}} More widespread strikes and street protests resumed on 12 November 2015; largely led by students in Ginchi (located 80 km southwest of Addis Ababa and encircled by the Oromia region).{{citation|title=OROMO PROTESTS: DEFIANCE AMIDST PAIN AND SUFFERING|date=16 December 2015 |url=https://addisstandard.com/oromo-protests-defiance-amidst-pain-and-suffering/|access-date=December 16, 2015}}{{citation|title=Ethiopia: Lethal Force Against Protesters|date=18 December 2015 |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/18/ethiopia-lethal-force-against-protesters|access-date=December 18, 2015}} Protests spread throughout 400 different locales across 17 zones of the Oromia region,{{citation|title=Killings and Arrests in Response to Ethiopia's Oromo Protests|journal=Human Rights Watch |date=15 June 2016 |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/06/15/such-brutal-crackdown/killings-and-arrests-response-ethiopias-oromo-protests|access-date=June 15, 2016 |last1=Horne |first1=Felix }} and according to Amnesty International 800 of these protestors were killed.{{citation|title=Hundreds killed since start of Oromo protests|url=https://www.dw.com/en/hundreds-killed-since-start-of-oromo-protests/a-36369836|access-date=November 12, 2016}}
On 12 January 2016, after two months of protests, the Oromo Democratic Party said that the plan was “fully terminated” after extensive meetings with government officials who rejected it.{{citation|title=Ethiopia Scraps Plan for Capital Area that Sparked Protests|url=https://www.voanews.com/africa/ethiopia-scraps-plan-capital-area-sparked-protests|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923104951/https://www.voanews.com/africa/ethiopia-scraps-plan-capital-area-sparked-protests|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 23, 2020|access-date=January 13, 2016}}{{citation|title=Ethiopia scraps Addis Ababa 'master plan' after protests kill 140|newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 January 2016 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/14/ethiopia-addis-master-plan-abandoned|access-date=January 14, 2016 |last1=Chala |first1=Endalk }}{{citation|title=Ethiopia cancels Addis Ababa master plan after Oromo protests|work=BBC News |date=13 January 2016 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35300471|access-date=January 13, 2016}}