Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that 50 people were killed during the protests sparked by the assassination of the Ethiopian singer Hashalu Hondisa last Monday, while the police arrested several people suspected of involvement in the killing of the popular singer.
A regional spokesman said today, Wednesday, that at least 50 people were killed in the Ethiopian Oromia region during protests after the singer Hondisa was killed.
Spokesman Getachew Palsha added that the dead included demonstrators and members of the security forces, noting that some companies had been set on fire.
For its part, the Ethiopian police announced that they had arrested a number of people on suspicion of being involved in the killing of Hondisa last Monday night.
It also announced the arrest of 36 people, including an Urumean activist, after they tried to block the transport of Hondisa's body. She noted that a member of the Oromia Police was killed in the shooting by the protection personnel accompanying the Oromine activist.
The capital, Addis Ababa, and other Ethiopian cities witnessed protests and unrest, against the backdrop of anger sparked by the killing of famous singer and songwriter Hashalu Hundisa.
Bombs in the capital and
the Federal Police Commissioner said that three explosions rocked Addis Ababa, killing and injuring people. "Some of those who planted the bombs were killed, and so were innocent civilians," he said in a televised statement.
The Commissioner also stated that a police officer was killed during a confrontation with the personal guard of the media man, Gohar Mohamed.
Internet services were cut in Ethiopia, a move previously taken by the authorities when political unrest erupted.
The network "NetBlox", which monitors internet disconnection globally, said that the service was cut off in Ethiopia at about nine o'clock in the morning local time, adding that it was the worst disconnection of the service in a year.
The killing of Hundisa has caused a great shock among the Oromo nationality, from which the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed is also descended.
Hondisa, a former political prisoner, has grown up during the years of protests against the government that caught fire in the heart of Oromia. His songs were inspiring for the movement that pushed Abi Ahmed to power.
He called the slain singer prime minister, describing him as an "inspiring youth", calling on citizens to show restraint and the police to expedite the arrest of the perpetrators.
Enemies inside and out
Abe Ahmed said in a televised speech on Tuesday evening that the killing of Hondisa was a "sinful act" that he committed and incited against him "enemies from inside and outside so that they spoil us peace and prevent us from accomplishing the things that we started."
Police said Hondesa was shot and killed Monday night, in a crime that appeared to be carefully planned. She added that she had arrested some suspects.
It is noteworthy that Oromo is the largest nationality in Ethiopia, and has long complained of its marginalization in politics and governance, until Abi Ahmed came to the prime minister in 2018, ending decades of the Tigray nationalism's control of the reins of power.