The unrest in Ethiopia has resulted in the death of at least 80 people, the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation says. The street protests have started in the country after a popular singer was shot dead this week.
The deaths of the people were caused by the protests after the singer’s Monday killing. Hachalu Hundessa had been a prominent voice in anti-government protests that led to a change in leadership in 2018.
The Ethiopians have reacted immediately and very angry, the police spokesperson said. During this week, three bomb blasts were recorded in Addis Ababa, the capital city/
Hachalu Hundessa was being buried Thursday in his hometown of Ambo. Police late Wednesday said three people had been arrested in his death. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called Hundessa’s killing a “tragedy” and declared that “our enemies will not succeed.”
Hachalu Hundessa’s death raised social tension in Ethiopia
The singer’s killing further raised tensions in Ethiopia, where the government has delayed the national election, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
Internet and mobile data service remain cut in Ethiopia as human rights groups raise concerns about the restrictions. The shutdown has “made it impossible to access information on those killed and injured in the protests,” according to the Human Rights Watch.
The Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed, who took office in 2018 after the anti-government protests, has seen his administration’s sweeping political reforms challenged as the loosening of political space opened the way for ethnic and other grievances, leading in some cases to deadly intercommunal violence.
