Hachalu Hundessa: Riots over death of Ethiopian singer killed 166

Ethnic riots after the murder of Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa have left at least 166 people dead, authorities say.

A senior police chief said 145 civilians and 11 security personnel died in the Oromia region alone. Ten people have been killed in the capital Addis Ababa.

Hachalu, 34, was killed on Monday, sparking riots that spread from Oromia, where he was seen as a hero.

The reason remains unclear. Hachalu had said that he had received death threats.

Their songs focused on the rights of the country’s Oromo people, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, and became hymns in a wave of protests that led to the fall of the former prime minister in 2018.

Ethiopia BBC journalist Kalkidan Yibeltal says ethnic and religious tensions have escalated after the murder.

Announcing the latest figures, Oromia Deputy Police Chief Girma Gelam said 167 had “suffered serious injuries” during the riots.

Gelam said 1,084 people had been arrested, without providing further details.

In his statement, the police officer said the violent riots had “completely stopped.”

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, himself an Oromo, who came to power in April 2018, warned that those behind Hachalu’s death wanted to derail his reform program.

“We have two options as a people. Fall into the trap created by detractors or deviate from their trap and follow the course of reforms. Choosing the first is to voluntarily help them in our disappearance,” said the prime minister. .

‘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 the age of 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. That’s where I learned,” 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 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, long-standing 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.