Ethnic Unrest Over The Killing Of Ethiopian Singer Hachalu Hundessa Has Left At Least 166 People Dead Since Monday

Reuters: Uneasy calm in Ethiopia after protests, official death toll doubles

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 closely guarded by security forces and a blanket Internet shutdown entered its sixth day.

Large protests broke out in Addis Ababa and spread to the surrounding Oromia region on Monday night after popular Oromo musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa was shot dead by unknown gunmen in a killing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said was “an evil act”.

Haacaaluu sang in the Oromo language of Ethiopia’s biggest ethnic group. His killing tapped into grievances fuelled by decades of government repression and what the Oromo describe as their historic exclusion from political power.

The government initially said 80 people had been killed during the protests, which lasted for two days. The unrest is the deadliest since Abiy, who is Oromo, took power in 2018 with the promise of wide ranging reforms.

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More News On This Week's Deadly Ethnic Violence In Ethiopia

Hachalu Hundessa: Ethiopia singer's death unrest killed 166 -- BBC
166 die during protests after shooting of Ethiopian singer -- The Guardian/AFP
Ethiopia: At Least 150 Killed in Clashes Following Death of Outspoken Singer -- VOA
More than 160 killed in Ethiopia protests over singer's murder -- Al Jazeera
How Hachalu Hundessa's murder reveals Ethiopia's political divide -- Al Jazeera