Ruling junta paid 50 birr per person for Tuesday’s victory rally

The Woyanne ruling junta in Ethiopia handed out 50 birr and a wrist watch to homeless and unemployed people to come to its ‘victory’ rally yesterday at Mesqel Squre, according to Ethiopian Review sources.

Most of those who were seen at the rally were unemployed youth who despise the regime.

A shoe shiner told an eyewitness that he was promised 50 birr if he comes to the rally. He said he refused, but many of his friends went.

Woyanne had deployed a massive security force at the rally in case the paid participants resort to protest against the regime. As this photo by Reuters shows, the Federal Police was having hard time controlling the crowd. Military helicopters were circling the Square.

Government emplyees, most of whom are registerd members of Woyanne/EPRDF, were also required to come to the rally or lose their job.