Protests in Ethiopia, Who was Hachalu Hundessa – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

Hachalu Hundessa

• Hachalu Hundessa was born in Ambon in Oromia Region, Ethiopia to Gudatu Hora and Hundessa Bonsa in 1985.
• In 2003, at the age of 17, he was arrested for taking part in protests.He was imprisoned at Karchale Ambo for five years and was later released in 2008.
• Hundessa composed the melodies and wrote most of the lyrics of his first album while he was in prison. Hundessa’s protest songs unified the Oromo people.

PROTESTS

• Hundessa gave voice to the anti-government protests that emerged in 2014 and culminated in the resignation of prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn in 2018.
• The protests began after the government announced a plan to expand the boundaries of the capital into the Oromia region. The community was concerned that the expansion would displace farmers living in the outskirts.
• While the plan, called the “Addis Ababa Master Plan”, was eventually dropped, the protests continued, signalling the growing frustration of the ethnic group.

PROTESTS

• According to Amnesty International, following the events of October 2016, the government security forces arrested tens of thousands of people in Amhara and Oromia among other regions.
• Those arrested included political activists, protesters, journalists and members of the Human Rights Council among others.
• In 2018, Desalegn was succeeded by Abiy Ahmed to become the first prime minister from the Oromo community. Ahmed won the Nobel peace prize in 2019 for his efforts towards resolving the border dispute with neighbouring Eritrea.

ROCKSTAR

• In December 2017, Hundessa sang at a giant concert in Addis Ababa that raised funds for 700,000 Oromo who were displaced by ethnic violence.
• Hundessa’s songs captured Oromo hopes and frustrations.
• Hundessa was shot on the evening of 29 June 2020 at the Gelan Condominiums area in Addis Ababa.

PROTESTS

• The killing of Ethiopian protest singer and revered musician Hachalu Hundessa led to days of unrest in the country, and the deaths of at least 80 people during protests.
• The motive for the murder remains unclear. The local police has arrested some individuals in connection with the case.
• A Human Rights Watch report stated the government cut internet services across the country on Tuesday morning.
• Significantly, just before his death, on June 22, Hundessa gave an interview to the Oromia Media Network (OMN), which had sparked outrage on social media. During the interview, he criticised the government and spoke out against the marginalisation faced by his community, the Oromos. Following his death, OMN was raided by the police and several journalists were detained. Jawar Mohammed, who owns the network, was also taken into custody.
• Hundessa was buried in his hometown Ambo on Thursday.

PROTESTS

• Significantly, just before his death, on June 22, Hundessa gave an interview to the Oromia Media Network (OMN), which had sparked outrage on social media.
• During the interview, he criticised the government and spoke out against the marginalisation faced by his community, the Oromos.
• Following his death, OMN was raided by the police and several journalists were detained. Jawar Mohammed, who owns the network, was also taken into custody.

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