Murder of singer stirs up tensions in Ethiopia

Following the murder of a well-known Ethiopian singer, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns of serious unrest in the country. Further, the human rights organization demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the violent death of Hachalu Hundessa. "The background of the murder must be investigated transparently and quickly, or Ethiopia will be facing very troubled times," fears Ulrich Delius, the STP's Director. "The politically committed singer was very popular with the Oromo people." According to police reports, the Oromo had been shot dead in Addis Ababa on Monday night. "He was an idol for a whole generation of young Oromo who oppose exclusion and discrimination and stand up for an independent Oromo state. His violent death could trigger a new wave of riots between hostile population groups in the multi-ethnic state," Delius warned.

According to the human rights organization, the social media channels are already full of accusations against the opponents of an independent Oromo state. Due to the decades of oppression of the Oromo majority, there are deep tensions in Ethiopian society. There are frequent outburst of violence, often leading to the death of dozens of people. Although – following massive protests by the Oromo population – Ethiopia has been ruled by the Oromo Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since 2018, many Oromo neither trust him nor the security forces. The police had suppressed the first demonstrations after the murder using tear gas, and an internet blockade was imposed in parts of the country.