'Dozens killed' in weekend Ethiopia protests

About 50 people were killed in weekend clashes in Ethiopia between police and anti-government protesters, opposition and diplomatic sources told AFP today.
Protests swept the vast Oromia region and even reached the capital Addis Ababa, a rare event in a nation with a government considered among the most repressive in Africa.
"We have reports of between 48 to 50 protesters killed in Oromia. This death toll might be higher because there were a lot of wounded," said Merera Gudina, leader of the opposition Oromo People's Congress.
A diplomat confirmed 49 people were killed across Oromia, a region straddling central-western Ethiopia, and in Amhara, in the north.

"They appear to be low level, quite disorganised protests scattered all around... The brutal response of the government risks provoking more anger and making it worse," the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The authorities have since Friday blocked access to social media, the activists' key channel for such rallying calls.