Unconfirmed news report indicates that the body of Hachalu Hundessa returned to Addis Ababa from his hometown Ambo after his fans resisted that his body must rest in the Ethiopian capital.
borkena
June 30, 2020
There are reports of protest in several towns in the Oromo region of Ethiopia a day after the assassination of popular singer Hachalu Hundessa.
According to the BBC Amharic report on Tuesday, Adama, a city about 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, was one of the cities where there was a protest. The source cited eyewitnesses to report those government buildings in the city were attacked.
Protesters who were marching to Oromia Broadcasting Network (OBN), which is a government-owned broadcaster, in the town have clashed with security forces. Unnamed eyewitnesses said they saw one injured person, as reported by BBC Amharic. On the Other hand, hospital sources from the city said three people died of bullet wounds.
The Mayor’s office was among the attacked buildings in the city.
In Harar, in southeast Ethiopia, protesters have demolished a statue of Ras Mekonnen, father of Ethiopia’s last Emperor Haileselassie I – according to a report by Deutsche Welle Amharic service report on Tuesday.
In Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia, protestors have reportedly burned cars, and hotels are attacked. DW Amharic service did not say as to which hotels are attacked.
Meanwhile, BBC Amharic service said there are unconfirmed reports that the body of the late Hachalu Hundessa, which was on its way to his hometown Ambo, is returned back to Addis Ababa after his fans protested that his body should be laid to rest in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Hachalu Hundessa was killed on Monday in the evening around 9: 30 P.M. in the Akaki area of Addis Ababa near Gelan Condominiums. Police said that it has arrested some suspects. According to the police report, he was taken to Lebu Star Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed his grief on Monday.
Federal Government Attorney General, Adanech Abebe vowed that whoever killed Hachalu will never escape justice and she called for patience.
Hachalu was prominent for his songs in Oromo language and his songs mobilized millions for resistance during repression under Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) dominated government which ended after Abiy Ahmed took over power in April 2018.
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Those who murdered this young man in cold blood must have had one and only one objective. It is not just to silence him but to incite destructive riots. It seems they have succeeded. I hear riots have broken out in several towns in Oromia and as usual torching of properties and loss of human lives are being reported. Those who claim to be stalwarts of struggle for freedom are seen spewing around incendiary rants on social media. This should have been the time where everyone is seen rising up to the occasion urging for calm. It would be utterly irresponsible to toss fuel into the fire. It seems bigots are getting their wishes. Oromia as before is starting to lit itself up in flames. My heart, O my heart!!! It is profusely bleeding!!!
In a way it is a very sad story. This young man was his life cut short by criminals’ bullets. Yes, whoever killed this family man and a father of three angelic children is nothing but barbaric thug. In my mind this was an act of groups with ulterior motives to send the country into bloody mayhem. These demons hate stability just because they profit from conflicts and chaos. What makes the incident even sadder is even his body was being denied a dignified burial. What is the idea of conducting an armed robbery of a human corpse and tossing it on the ground? This was carried out to strike terror at the hearts of the citizens of that country. And they did that against the wishes of his family. I think for some people what it matters most about going to college is not what is learned there but it is rather how you talk and connive when you come back.
I found it strange that those who snatched the body on the way to Ambo brought it back to Headquarters of Prosperity Party, and went right through the gate by murdering the security guard with no return fire. They were disarmed voluntarily after they entered the building. How could such a large group of criminals were let to disarm peacefully, after killing a guard and snatching body from relatives of the deceased and accompanying police?
Could it be there are accomplices of Mohammed et al within the Prosperity Party? If so, could that be the end of Ethiopia as we know it, and emergence of Ethiopia’s version of ISIS, al Shabab, and al Queda? I had once watched a video broadcast by Mohammed himself dressed in Galabia (wornin Muslim world) with head gear (like worn in the Sudan) holding a sword and singing what appeared to be war song (shelela) on the way to killing “neftegnas”. Such an unfortunate and pitiful nation where a tiny citizens consistently tried to destroy it from within.