ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – More than 166 people were killed during anti-government protests in Ethiopia last week, the government said on Sunday, as the capital and other hotspots remained under surveillance by security forces and a widespread Internet shutdown entered his sixth day.
FILE PHOTO: Ethiopian military travel in their van as they patrol the streets after the protests in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 2, 2020. REUTERS / Tiksa Negeri
Huge protests broke out in Addis Ababa and spread to the surrounding Oromia region on Monday night after the popular Oromo musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa was shot dead by unknown gunmen in a murder that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said was “a evil act. ”
Haacaaluu sang in the Oromo language of the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. Her murder took advantage of complaints fueled by decades of government repression and what the Oromo describe as her historic exclusion from political power.
Initially, the government said 80 people had died during the protests, which lasted two days. The unrest is the deadliest since Abiy, who is Oromo, took power in 2018 with the promise of far-reaching reforms.
But a senior regional security official told Reuters on Sunday that the death toll was at least double, with 145 civilians and 11 security personnel killed.
Jibril Mohammed, head of the Oromia Peace and Security Bureau, said more deaths could be reported due to the number of injuries being treated in hospitals.
Another 10 people were killed in Addis Ababa, said a source from the national police service.
The military, called to quell the protests on Wednesday, were on the streets of the cities of Oromia, two residents of the city of Adama and another from the city of Shashemene told Reuters. Authorities shut down the Internet after the protests began and have yet to turn it back on, residents said.
“The (Oromia) region is now relatively quiet and there is no violence or protests at this time. The companies have also reopened, “Jibril told Reuters by phone.
Amnesty International, a human rights watchdog, has called on the government to bring the Haacaaluu killers to justice.
(This story corrects the typographical error in the final paragraph)
Written by Duncan Miriri, Edited by Raissa Kasolowsky
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