Tensions persist in Ethiopia after singer Hachalu Hundessa's funeral

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In Ethiopia, the funeral of singer Hachalu Hundessa, murdered Monday evening, took place under tension this Thursday, July 2 in his hometown, a hundred kilometers from Addis Ababa.

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There were not many people this Thursday, July 2 in the morning in the stands of the stadium in the city of Ambo, where Hachalu Hundessa was born 34 years ago. Relatives, parents, officials had come to lay a wreath in the sun. Oromo riders on their horse paid homage to the murdered idol . His wife, very moved, announced that a statue of her husband would be erected soon in Addis Ababa, where he was killed Monday evening.

Barely an hour later, the coffin was buried according to the Orthodox rite near a small church. The area around the stadium was strictly sealed off by security forces, who fired to keep the militants hurrying ahead of the funeral convoy, leaving several injured, local doctors said.

The situation remains tense in the country. A photographer says that red berets are patrolling the streets of Addis Ababa, as attacks between community armed bands are increasing. 

►Also read: Oromo singer murdered in Ethiopia: Abiy Ahmed denounces an attempt to "destabilize"

This tension is also fueled by continued arrests of opponents. After the Oromo leaders Jawar Mohamed and Bekele Gerba who appeared in court for complicity in the killing, it was the politician and journalist Amhara Eskinder Nega who was arrested in turn on Thursday. The federal prosecutor accuses him of inciting his supporters to violence against the Oromos.

Hachalu Hundessa's murder has sparked violence in his Oromiya region and the capital, where settlements between national groups have been deadly in recent days. The latest official report of the demonstrations reports 90 deaths.

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