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The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (ECHR) said On Friday, Ethiopian security forces killed at least 76 people and wounded 190 during violent riots in June and July following the murder of musician Hachalu Hundessa.
The violence began amid protests sparked by the murder of a musician in the Galan Condominium area of Addis Ababa. Hundessa was a popular singer from the Oromo ethnic group, which makes up more than 50 percent of Ethiopia’s population. He was a major force in the anti-government protests that emerged in 2014. The protests resulted in the resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn as prime minister and chairman of the ruling coalition in 2018.
The EHRC investigation report on violence and human rights violations following the death of the musician found that “civilians were attacked inside their homes by individual and grouped perpetrators and were beaten and killed in the streets in a horrific and cruel manner with sticks, knives, axes, sharp iron bars, stones and electric cables ”. The report also said: “While it is understandable that the security forces had the challenging task of restoring order in the face of such widespread violence, the proportionality of the force used in some contexts is highly questionable.” He added that 123 people died, at least 500 were injured and 6,468 were displaced.
Ethiopia has been grappling with regular outbreaks of violence among more than 80 ethnic groups since the appointment of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018. Ethnic violence is a major challenge for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister, who has urged the National unity.
