Thousands of Ethiopians march over IS killings

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians marched through the capital on Wednesday in a government-organised rally condemning the murder of a group of Ethiopian Christians by Islamic State militants in Libya.

The official rally appeared to be aimed at channelling public anger sparked by the killings, with a huge crowd beginning to gather shortly after dawn in Addis Ababa’s huge Meskel Square. However, some demonstrators directed their anger at the government. “Our brothers were murdered, the government must do something,” shouted Anteneh Tefera, a young demonstrator.“Their blood is not the blood of animals.”  The murders have horrified Ethiopians and sparked global condemnation, including from Pope Francis who expressed his “great distress and sadness”.

The IS video, released on Sunday, showed militants in Libya holding captives who they described as “followers of the cross from the enemy Ethiopian Church”.