Six hurt in scuffles with security forces at Ethiopian singer’s funeral

Six people were injured on Thursday in scuffles between Ethiopian security forces and mourners trying to attend the funeral of singer Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, whose killing earlier this week sparked protests that killed more than 80 people, a witness said.

Residents reported soldiers, federal police and regional police lining the roads and police firing in the air to deter mourners from entering the stadium in the town of Ambo.

Sporadic gunfire continued after the short service, four residents said. One said he had seen a protester shot in the leg. A visitor at Ambo hospital said he saw six wounded people had been admitted. Another resident said roadblocks had been set up around town and he could not get home.

All asked not to be named to prevent reprisals. Police did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

At the stadium, a live broadcast showed sparse numbers of people. The slain singer's wife, Santu Demisew Diro, gave a short speech after mourners laid wreaths.

“Haacaaluu is not dead. He will remain in my heart and the hearts of millions of Oromo people forever,” she said, referring to Ethiopia's largest ethnic group. “I request a monument erected in his memory in Addis where his blood was spilt.”

The popular Ethiopian singer, 36, was shot dead in the capital Addis Ababa on Monday by unknown gunmen and was laid to rest later at a church in Ambo, his home town about 100km west of Addis. He leaves behind three daughters, the youngest a month old.

'VERY SAD'

“It is very sad that his body is accompanied by only a few people and security forces are keeping many others away,” one of Haacaaluu's relatives said.

One Ambo resident told Reuters he was determined to attend the service because the electricity had gone out in his house so he could not watch it on television.

“He is our hero, we have to pay him our respects,” said lab technician Mamush Dabala by phone as he got ready to go out. He said he could hear gunshots, but was going anyway.

Haacaaluu's songs provided a soundtrack to a generation of Oromo protesters whose three years of anti-government demonstrations finally forced the unprecedented resignation of the prime minister in 2018 and the appointment of the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The Oromo have long complained of exclusion from political power. In recent months, some Oromo activists who initially supported Abiy have become more critical, accusing him of not protecting the interests of the Oromo people.

The singer's killing sparked protests in the capital and surrounding Oromiya region that have killed more than 80 people so far.

On Wednesday, Haacaaluu's uncle was killed during a scuffle between police and a crowed outside the singer's house, the regional police commissioner told state media.

The singer's death has reverberated across the Ethiopian diaspora. The governor of the US state of Minnesota, which hosts a large number of Oromo people, tweeted his condolences.

“Hachalu Hundessa showed that music could change hearts and minds across the world,” said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, using an alternative spelling of the singer's name. — Reuters