Ethiopians protest US sanctions over atrocities in Tigray

More than 10,000 Ethiopians protested on Sunday over U.S. sanctions that limits aid to the country over the Tigray conflict, according to Reuters.

Public criticism of the U.S. is rare in the country and the demonstration was among the largest pro-government rally to take place, Reuters reported.

The U.S. imposed sanctions last week that restricted economic and security assistance to Ethiopia. 

“We will never kneel down. The preconditions and travel restrictions by the U.S. and its allies are completely unacceptable. It needs to be corrected,” mayor of Addis Ababa Adanech Abebe said, according to Reuters.

Neighboring countries such as Egypt and Sudan have said that Ethiopia’s filing of the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has violated their rights to the Nile River. Ethiopia has argued that the dam’s electricity is needed for their economy. 

Last November, a war broke out in the region where the country accused leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of ordering an attack on their Army base, according to The Associated Press.

More than thousands of people have died from the ongoing conflict and two million people have been displaced, according to the AP.