Hachalu Hundessa: Riots break out in Ethiopia as protest singer is buried

The funeral is held for Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa, as riots over his death have spread from the Oromia region, where he was seen as a hero.

Armed gangs are reported to roam the capital Addis Ababa against rival ethnic groups.

At least 81 people have been killed in protests in Oromia since Hachalu was shot dead on Monday night.

The motive for his murder remains unclear, but the 34-year-old man said he had received death threats.

His songs focused on the rights of the country’s Oromo ethnic group and became hymns in a wave of protests that led to the fall of the former Prime Minister in 2018.

In Addis Ababa, eight people died in acts of violence that included multiple bomb blasts, says BBC Ethiopia journalist Kalkidan Yibeltal.

Our reporter says that ethnic and religious tensions have escalated after the murder.

What’s going on at the funeral?

“Hachalu is not dead. It will remain in my heart and in the hearts of millions of Oromo people forever,” the Reuters news agency quoted his widow Santu Demisew Diro as saying at the funeral.

The ceremony will take place at a stadium in Hachalu’s hometown of Ambo, west of the capital, and will be broadcast live on Oromo Broadcasting Network television.

“I request a monument erected in his memory in Addis where his blood was shed,” Santu said.

Our reporter says the stadium is not full as many Ambo residents stayed home amid strong security after days of violence.

Mourners are reported to have tried to delay the funeral until the release of influential Oromo politician Jawar Mohammed.

Who has been arrested?

Dozens of people have been detained, including Jawar, who was arrested after protesters tried to block Hachalu’s body from leaving the capital on Tuesday.

Jawar, a media mogul, has led calls for more rights for Oromo, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, which has been politically marginalized by previous governments.

He supported reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, himself an Oromo, when he came to power in April 2018, but has since become an ardent critic.

More arrests have been made in the capital, including that of prominent journalist and activist Eskinder Nega.

‘A thorn in the flesh’

By Bekele Atoma, BBC Afaan Oromoo

Hachalu Hundessa

I didn’t know how to write lyrics and melodies until they put me behind bars. “

From his youth, Hachalu Hundessa was a thorn in the flesh of successive governments.

As a student in Ambo, a city at the forefront of Oromos’ campaign for self-government, Hachalu joined groups of students calling for freedom. At 17, he was imprisoned for five years for his political activities.

He became increasingly politicized in prison as his knowledge of Ethiopia’s history increased, including his dominance of emperors and autocrats, and he also developed his musical skills.

“I didn’t know how to write lyrics and melodies until they put me behind bars. I learned it there,” he said in 2017.

He released his first album Sanyii Mootii (Race of the King) in 2009, a year after walking free, and made him a music star and political symbol of the aspirations of the Oromo people.

However, he played down his political role and said: “I am not a politician, I am an artist. Singing about what my people are going through does not make me a politician.”

• Read more: The singer whose murder sparked protests in Ethiopia.

Why has Oromos been protesting?

The Oromo, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, have long complained of being marginalized.

Demonstrations erupted in 2016 and pressure mounted on the government.

The ruling coalition eventually replaced then Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn with Abiy.

It has introduced a series of reforms that have transformed what was considered a very oppressive state.

However, longstanding ethnic tensions have turned into violence.

Abiy won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 primarily for making peace with his former enemy Eritrea, but his efforts to transform Ethiopia were also recognized.