Fri 10 July 2020:
Ethiopian authorities said they have arrested two suspects over the killing of a popular political singer, whose death last week sparked protests in which hundreds of people were killed.
The shooting of Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, a musician widely revered among his Oromo ethnic group, ignited protests in Addis Ababa and the surrounding Oromiya region. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described his killing as “an evil act”.
In a televised statement aired on Friday, Attorney General Adanech Abebe said the attacker was acting on the orders of an anti-government group, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF-Shene).
The two men who were arrested included the suspected attacker and an accomplice. A third suspect was still at large, Adenech said.
“We have arrested those who killed him, and those who collaborated in the killing,” Adanech said in the statement. “We will continue to ensure the rule of law.”
“The assassination was intended to be a cover to take power from the incumbent by force,” Adanech said, without providing details.
The suspects have not yet been charged.
The unrest last week was the deadliest since Abiy took office. At least 239 people were killed, according to police figures. The prime minister has initiated a broad package of political and economic reforms in what has long been one of the most tightly controlled countries in Africa, and won last year’s Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with neighbouring Eritrea.
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