Hachala Hundessa became a symbol of the Oromo struggle during years of anti-government protests that swept Abiy to power in 2018. His shooting death last week sparked days of protests and ethnic violence that killed 239 people, according to police figures. Though Abiy is Ethiopia’s first Oromo head of state, Oromo nationalists accuse him of insufficiently championing their interests since taking office, a complaint echoed by many protesters last week. The OLF, a former rebel movement, returned to Ethiopia from exile after Abiy took office and has repeatedly disavowed any links to armed insurgents. “Above all we call on our people to disobey this rebellion call and to thwart it.”

Source: Ethiopian News July 10, 2020 11:26 UTC