At least 80 people have been reportedly killed in unrest in Ethiopia following the death of a popular singer, Hachalu Hundessa, who was shot dead on Monday.
Hachalu had been a prominent voice in anti-government protests that led to a change in leadership in 2018. Angry protests, including three bomb blasts, followed his death in the capital, Addis Ababa.
The singer’s killing further raised tensions in Ethiopia, where the government has delayed the national election, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
Human Rights Watch said, “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.”
He added that “Other arrests this week include that of a well-known Oromo activist, Jawar Mohammed, and more than 30 supporters. The arrest of opposition figures “could make a volatile situation even worse.”
Prime Minister 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.
Abiy has called the singer’s killing a “tragedy” and declared that “our enemies will not succeed.”
