Hundeessaa’s Murder: Violent demonstration erupts, death toll rises in Ethiopia
The death toll from demonstrations and ethnic violence that erupted in Ethiopia following the murder of a popular singer, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, has risen to 239, according to police.
Pop star, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, from the Oromo ethnic group, was shot dead by unknown attackers on June 29.
His murder has heightened ethnic tensions threatening the country’s democratic transition.
Protests broke out in the capital Addis Ababa, as well as the surrounding Oromia region which is the homeland of the country’s largest ethnic group, who have long felt economically and politically sidelined in the diverse nation.
Officials have attributed the deaths to a combination of lethal force by security officers and interethnic violence.
“Due to the unrest that occurred in the region, nine police officers, five militia members and 215 civilians have lost their lives,” acting Oromia police commissioner Mustafa Kedir said on state television on Wednesday.
Police in Addis Ababa had previously reported 10 deaths in the capital. The total death toll is an increase from 166 fatalities reported last weekend.
Mustafa also said there had been “extensive damage and looting” of government and private property.
“To control this unrest, more than 3,500 suspects have been arrested. They were anti-peace elements who carried out attacks using the artist’s death as a pretext to dismantle the constitutional system by force,” he said.
“The Oromo population should be inclusive of other ethnic groups that live among it.”
Source: MCR and News Agencies
