Hachalu Hundessa riots
The Hachalu Hundessa riots were a series civil disorder which swept Ethiopia, chiefly the Oromia Region, following the killing of musician Hachalu Hundessa on 29 June 2020, leading to the deaths of at least 200 people. Peaceful protests against Hachalu's killing have been held by Oromos abroad as well.
Background
was a popular singer whose politically-tinged songs were popular during the 2016 Ethiopian protests and made him "a political symbol of the Oromo people's aspirations". He was shot on the evening of 29 June 2020 at the Gelan Condominiums area in Addis Ababa. He was taken to the Tirunesh Beijing General Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Thousands of his fans headed to the hospital in the city where the body of the singer was taken on Monday night. In Addis Ababa, police used tear gas to disperse the crowd outside the hospital and gunshots have been heard in the city where people set fire to tyres. Hachalu's body was being taken to his hometown Ambo, about 100km west of the capital, but protesters tried to stop it and insisted that he should be buried in Addis Ababa. Police are investigating his death. In a recent interview with local TV station Oromia Media Network, Hachalu had said that people should remember that all the horses seen mounted by old leaders belonged to the people. The singer had said that he had received death threats, but it is not clear who was behind his shooting on the outskirts of the capital, Addis Ababa. Hachalu's songs often focused on the rights of the country's Oromo ethnic group and became anthems in a wave of protests that led to the downfall of the previous prime minister in 2018.Events
The killing of Hachalu Hundesa, an Oromo musician and rights activist on June 29, 2020, has sent shock waves of anger, resentment, and frustration throughout Ethiopia. Following his death, protesters took to the streets in the Oromia region and the capital Addis Ababa on June 30, 2020, to express their grievance and to demand justice for the death of Hachalu.Oromo activists have drawn parallels with the George Floyd protests in the United States, although critics argued such claims were flawed and served as an alibi for ethnically-motivated violence. On 30 June, groups of youths roamed through neighbourhoods in Addis Ababa, and public buildings and private businesses were destroyed, and businesses looted. That same day, three explosions occurred in Addis Ababa, killing both some of the perpetrators and bystanders. Seven civilians and three police officers were killed, "either beaten with rocks, or shot, or a series of bombings". At demonstrations in Adama, nine protesters were killed. and another 75 were injured.
In Ambo, Hachalu's hometown, three policemen and 78 civilians were killed in the "mayhem" surrounding his funeral, including one of the Hachalu's uncles. At least nine of the civilians were killed by security forces.
In Shashamane, violence was particularly widespread, with "up to 150" people killed there alone, according to the regional deputy police commissioner, Girma Gelan. Eye-witness reports claimed that "all but 4 or 5 buildings" in the town center had been torched, and that the Rastafari community had been targeted due to its association with the Emperor Haile Selassie. Witnesses who spoke with Voice of America described how shopping centres, restaurants, residences, and hotels owned by "outsiders" were attacked, include one owned by celebrated runner Haile Gebrselassie. Victims described the violence as targeted; according to Yohannes Wolde, the headmaster of a large private school, the Dinkinesh Education Center, rioters burned down three separate campuses of the school in different parts of the town, as well as his private residence, which was the only house in the area to be attacked. Temam Hussein, Mayor of Shashamane, said that while protests had initially been peaceful, "some had an agenda to divert it into ethnic conflict and looting".
Two people were shot to death in Chiro, while protesters in Harar toppled a statue of Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael. In Adama, demonstrators set fire to the mayor's office and tried to take over the headquarters of the regional state broadcaster. Violence was also severe in Bale Robe, Ziway, and Negele Arsi. In Ziway town, innocent people were labelled as "neftegna" and were targeted for assaults, according to multiple witnesses. In its literal meaning neftegna means “gun bearer.” It refers to military occupiers who settled in Southern Ethiopia include today’s Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Gambela Region and Benishangul-Gumuz Region from the late 19th century onwards. This was a historical development that came to an end in 1974 with the fall of Emperor Haile Sellasie’s monarchy and the rise of the Dergue communist regime to power. However, Neftengna is a name often related to the ethnic Amhara, the second most populous ethnic group in Ethiopia.
Interfaith tensions add another layer of complexity. Some Oromo nationalists portray the Orthodox Christian church as part of the predominantly Amhara power structure under the old imperial regime, which they accuse of suppressing their identities and culture for centuries. During October 2019 Ethiopian clashes, Orthodox Christian leaders reported mobs targeting their congregants and churches, while demonstrators also attacked a mosque in Adama city, in central Oromia. Indeed, the targeting of Orthodox churches as a symbol of the old establishment is a problem not limited to Oromia: protesters attacked churches in the Somali region in August 2018 and in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region in July 2019. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed established civil society groups such as the Inter-Religious Council and elders from the various ethnic groups to stimulate dialogue among elites and the grassroots. Following these efforts, community members among the Ethiopian diaspora community were calling for tolerance and coexistence among followers of the two major religions in Ethiopia. Amhara-Oromo fighting at several universities has sharpened tensions. Mounting religious tensions risk edging a political dispute over Amhara-Oromo federal power-sharing into a sectarian contest. Similarly, violence between Amhara security forces and militia comprising Qemant people left tens dead. The Qemant are a minority in Amhara pursuing greater autonomy. TPLF leaders are also angry at the displacement of around 100,000 Tigrayans, mostly from Amhara and Oromia regions, during and after the 2015-2018 anti-government protests. Since Abiy’s rise to power trends in Amhara are as troubling as those in Oromia and recent mass unrest when Amhara nationalist militias attempted coup d'état. The Oromo have themselves long-faced marginalization and exclusion at the hands of the central government; in this instance, those targeted have largely comprised members of other ethnic groups that constitute minorities in the Oromia region..
Response
At 9 a.m., 30 June 2020, the internet was cut across much of Ethiopia, a measure found by telecoms watchdog NetBlocks to be consistent with previous national internet shutdowns imposed by the government during unrest. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed his condolences to Hundessa's family, saying that Hachalu's assassins intended not to kill him alone but "through him to kill Ethiopia", while also urging calm amid growing unrest. Media owner and activist Jawar Mohammed responded to Hundessa's death on Facebook, saying "They did not just kill Hachalu. They shot at the heart of the Oromo Nation, once again!!...You can kill us, all of us, you can never ever stop us!! NEVER!!". Ethiopians on social media, including the country's ambassador to Washington, expressed their shock at the killing of the popular musician.. On Oromia Media Network, the caller literary says “Oromo should be organized, do not sit home do nothing and anyone against Oromo should take measure”. Member of Amhara ethnic groups accused media outlets of actively instigating the attacks live and instructing the attackers and broadcast a series of inflammatory hate-filled messages, including calls to lock and burn the homes of Amhara people but no supporting evidence.On 30 June 2020, Jawar and Bekele Gerba were arrested by Ethiopian Federal police after an incident between Jawar's guards and police that resulted in the death of a police officer. The incident happened when Jawar and his guards intercepted the transportation of remains belonging to Hachalu Hundessa to his home town of Ambo, which lies 100 km west of Addis Ababa. Jawar wanted to have the funeral in Addis Ababa, while Hachalu's parents and wife wanted to have the burial in Ambo. The government claimed that the intention was to have the Hundessa's funeral in Addis Ababa so that angry Oromo youths that would come to the city would destroy statues and monuments in the city, a move that would have put them in collision course with the city residents. The plan was to use the ensuing violence in discrediting and overthrowing the government of Abiy Ahmed. 35 people, including Jawar, were apprehended, along with eight Kalashnikovs, five pistols, and nine radio transmitters from his bodyguards Subsequently, former journalist-turned-politician Eskinder Nega and Sintayehu Chekol from the Balderas movement, a critic of both the government and Oromo ethno-nationalists, were also arrested for "attempting to incite violence".
As of 5 July, police have arrested at least 4 people in direct connection with Hachalu's death. Abiy reportedly suggested that may be behind the unrest, saying "those external and internal forces who were not successful with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue have tried their utmost efforts to create chaos at this time." An Egyptian diplomat responded by saying that Egypt "has nothing to do with current tensions in Ethiopia". Ian Bremmer wrote in a Time magazine article that Prime Minister Abiy "may just be looking for a scapegoat that can unite Ethiopians against a perceived common enemy".
While some have welcomed the government's move as a "firm response" to restore order and provide accountability, others have warned that a crackdown, in light of delayed elections, would "exacerbate underlying tensions, and put nascent democracy into danger".