ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian youth were called on to eradicate poverty and uphold the long-standing peace and stability values during the Martyrs Day celebration.
Ethiopian patriots and elders made the calls while commemorating the 81st Martyrs Day on Monday, which marked the massacre and imprisonment of Ethiopians by the Italian occupying forces 81 years ago.
Laying wreath at the Martyrs' Monument in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, Lij Daniel Jote Mesfin, President of Ethiopian Patriots Association, stressed that the fight against poverty and hatred ideology are the current generations' task.
Estimates suggest that as many as 30,000 Ethiopians were killed by the Italian forces in 1937, mainly through indiscriminate killings in Addis Ababa.
The incident is considered as one of the worst atrocities committed by the Italian occupation forces and has been described as the worst massacre in Ethiopian history.
The commemorative day in Addis Ababa was attended by officials from the federal government, Addis Ababa City Administration and representatives of civil societies and the general public.
Ethiopia, among sub-Saharan Africa's oldest independent countries, has not been colonized apart from a five-year occupation by Italy forces under the leadership of Benito Mussolini.
