Prominent Ethiopian politician Jawar Mohammed is among 35 people arrested following huge demonstrations in the country’s Oromia region.
Thousands of mourners had gathered to protest against the killing of popular singer Hachalu Hundessa, who was shot dead on Monday.
At least seven people, including a police officer, were killed during protests in several towns.
The motive for Hachalu’s killing remains unclear.
Hachalu, 34, had said that he had received death threats.
His songs 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.
The authorities shut down the internet on Tuesday in parts of the country as the protests against his killing spread in Oromia state.
Why was Jawar arrested?
Trouble started when Hachalu’s body was being transported to his native town of Ambo, east of the capital, Addis Ababa, for burial, but Mr Jawar and his supporters intercepted it and tried to return it to the capital.
Federal Police commissioner, Endeshaw Tassew, said on Tuesday that a stand-off ensued.
“There was a disturbance between federal security forces and others, and in the process one member of the Oromia special police force was killed,” Mr Endeshaw said.
“Thirty-five people including Jawar Mohammed have been put under arrest. The security forces have taken eight Kalashnikovs, five pistols and nine radio transmitters from Jawar Mohammed’s car,” he added.
Mr Jawar, a media mogul, has led calls for more rights of the Oromo, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, who have been politically marginalised by previous governments.
He supported reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, himself an Oromo, but has since become an ardent critic.
Mr Jawar is a member of opposition Oromo Federalist Congress party.
‘More than an entertainer’
Hachalu was more than just a singer and entertainer.
He was a symbol for the Oromo people who spoke up about the political and economic marginalisation that they had suffered under consecutive Ethiopian regimes.
In one of his most famous songs, he sang: “Do not wait for help to come from outside, a dream that doesn’t come true. Rise, make your horse ready and fight, you are the one close to the palace.”
The musician had also been imprisoned for five years when he was 17 for taking part in protests.
Many like him fled into exile fearing persecution but he remained in the country and encouraged the youth to struggle.
Royal statue toppled
In Adama, 90km (56 miles) south-east of Addis Ababa, five people died after being shot during demonstrations and 75 others were injured, hospital chief executive Dr Mekonnin Feyisa told BBC Afaan Aromo.
Nineteen others were injured in nearby Dera town, he added.
Meanwhile, in the eastern town of Chiro, two people were shot dead during protests, a medic at the local hospital told the BBC.
In the eastern city of Harar, protesters pulled down a statue of a royal prince – Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael – who was the father of Haile Selassie, Ethiopia’s last emperor.
The statue shows Ras Makonnen, an important military figure and former governor of Harar province in the 19th Century under then-Emperor Menelik II, sitting on a horse.
In a recent interview with local TV station Oromia Media Network, owned by Mr Jawar, Hachalu had said that people should remember that all the horses seen mounted by old leaders belonged to the people.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed his condolences saying in a tweet that Ethiopia “lost a precious life today” and describing the singer as “marvellous”.
The musician’s death and the protests come as political tensions rise following the indefinite postponement of elections due in August, on account of the coronavirus pandemic.
They would have been the first electoral test for Mr Abiy after he came to power in April 2018.
What were the Oromo protests about?
The Oromo, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, have long complained of being sidelined.
Demonstrations erupted in 2016 and pressure built on the government.
The ruling coalition eventually replaced then-Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn with Mr Abiy.
He has brought in a series of reforms, which have transformed what was considered a very oppressive state.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 primarily for making peace with long-time foe Eritrea, but his efforts in transforming Ethiopia were also recognised.
Source: BBC
