The Hachalu Hundessa riots were a series of

civil unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficulty ...

that occurred in the

Oromia Region Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...

, more specifically in the hot spot of

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, ...

Shashamene Shashamane ( om, Shashamannee, am, ሻሸመኔ) is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the Oromia Region with a 2007 Census population of 100,454, but with an estimated 208,368 inhabitants in mid 2022; the town is known for its Rastafarian ...

and Ambo following the killing of the Oromo musician Hachalu Hundessa on 29 June 2020. The riots lead to the deaths of at least 239 people according to initial police reports. Peaceful protests against Hachalu's killing have been held by Oromos abroad as well. The

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ሰብዓዊ መብቶች ኮሚሽን) is a national human rights institution (NHRI) established by the Ethiopian government. The EHRC is charged with promoting human rig ...

(EHRC) found in its 1 January 2021 full report that part of the killings were a

crime against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...

, with deliberate, widespread systematic killing of civilians by organised groups. The EHRC counted 123 deaths, 76 of which it attributed to

security forces Security forces are statutory organizations with internal security mandates. In the legal context of several nations, the term has variously denoted police and military units working in concert, or the role of military and paramilitary forces (s ...

Background

Hachalu Hundessa was a popular singer whose politically tinged songs were popular during the 2015 and

2016 Ethiopian protests Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * '' Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film ...

and made him "a political symbol of the

Oromo people The Oromo (pron. Oromo: ''Oromoo'') are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya, who speak the Oromo language (also called ''Afaan Oromoo'' or ''Oromiffa''), which is part of the Cushitic ...

's aspirations and catapulted

Abiy Ahmed Abiy Ahmed Ali ( om, Abiyi Ahmed Alii; am, አብይ አሕመድ ዐሊ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who has been the 4th prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He won the 2019 ...

to power." He was shot on the evening of 29 June 2020 in the Gelan Condominiums area in Addis Ababa. He was taken to Tirunesh Beijing General Hospital, a government hospital in

, where he died from his injuries. Thousands of his fans headed to the hospital in the city where the his body was taken on Monday night. In Addis Ababa, police used tear gas to disperse the crowd outside the hospital, and gunshots were heard in the city where people set fire to tires. Hachalu's body was taken to his hometown, Ambo, about 100 km west of the capital, but protesters tried to stop this and insisted that he should be buried in Addis Ababa. Police are investigating his death. Referring to a statue in Addis Ababa of Menelik II, Hachalu told Oromia Media Network (OMN) said that people should remember that all the horses seen mounted by old rulers leaders belonged to the people. The singer had said that he had received death threats, but it is not clear who was behind his shooting on the outskirts of the capital, Addis Ababa. Hachalu's songs often focused on the rights of the country's Oromo ethnic group and became anthems in a wave of protests that led to the downfall of the previous prime minister in 2018.

Events

The killing of Hachalu Hundessa, an Oromo musician and civil rights activist on 29 June 2020, sent shock waves of anger, resentment, and frustration throughout Ethiopia. Following his death, protesters took to the streets in the Oromia region and the capital Addis Ababa on 30 June 2020 to express their grievance and to demand justice for the death of Hachalu. Oromo activists have drawn parallels with the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internat ...

in the United States, although critics argued such claims were flawed and served as an alibi for ethnically motivated violence. On 30 June, groups of youths roamed through neighborhoods in

, and public buildings and private businesses were destroyed and businesses looted. That same day, three explosions occurred in Addis Ababa, killing both some of the perpetrators and bystanders. Seven civilians and three police officers were killed, "either beaten with rocks, or shot, or na series of bombings." At demonstrations in

Adama Adama ( Oromo: ' or ', Amharic: አዳማ), formerly Nazreth ( am, ናዝሬት), is a city in the central Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Located in the East Shewa Zone southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, the city sits between the base of an ...

, nine protesters were killed and another 75 were injured. In Ambo, Hachalu's hometown, three policemen and 78 civilians were killed in the "mayhem" surrounding his funeral, including one of Hachalu's uncles. At least nine of the civilians were killed by security forces. In Shashamane, violence was particularly widespread, with "up to 150" people killed there alone, according to the regional deputy police commissioner, Girma Gelan. Eye-witness reports claimed that "all but 4 or 5 buildings" in the town center had been torched, and that the

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control ...

community had been targeted due to its association with the Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

. Witnesses who spoke with ''

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

'' described how shopping centres, restaurants, residences, and hotels owned by "outsiders" were attacked, include one owned by celebrated runner

Haile Gebrselassie Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champion ...

. Victims described the violence as targeted; according to Yohannes Wolde, the headmaster of a large private school, the Dinkinesh Education Center, rioters burned down three separate campuses of the school in different parts of the town, as well as his private residence, which was the only house in the area (having already fled with his family) to be attacked. Temam Hussein, mayor of Shashamane, said that while protests had initially been peaceful, "Some eoplehad an agenda to divert it into ethnic conflict and looting." During the Shashamane massacre, mostly

Amharas Amharas ( am, አማራ, Āmara; gez, ዐምሐራ, ʾÄməḥära) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group which is indigenous to Ethiopia, traditionally inhabiting parts of the northwest Highlands of Ethiopia, particularly inhabiting the Amhara ...

, Gurages,

Jamaicans Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent, with minorities of Europeans, East Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed a ...

(especially

Rastafarians Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

), and other civilians were attacked. Two people were shot to death in Chiro, while protesters in

Harar Harar ( amh, ሐረር; Harari: ሀረር; om, Adare Biyyo; so, Herer; ar, هرر) known historically by the indigenous as Gey (Harari: ጌይ ''Gēy'', ) is a walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is also known in Arabic as the City of Sain ...

toppled a statue of ''Ras'' Makonnen Wolde Mikael. In

, demonstrators set fire to the mayor's office and tried to take over the headquarters of the regional state broadcaster. Violence was also severe in Bale Robe,

Ziway Batu ( om, Baatuu), formerly Zway or Ziway,Negele Arsi. In Ziway, Amharic speakers were labelled as "

neftenya A neftenya ( am, ነፍጠኛ, 3=rifle-bearer) was a feudal lord and expansionist settler who operated in the framework of the process of territorial expansion and creation of modern Ethiopia by the late 19th century.Zewde, Bahru. A history of E ...

" ( am, ነፍተኛ, lit. "rifle-bearer", connoting a settler) and were targeted for assaults, according to multiple witnesses. In its literal meaning, ''neftegna'' means “gun bearer.” It refers to military occupiers who settled in Southern Ethiopia, including today's

Oromia Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Be ...

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (often abbreviated as SNNPR; am, የደቡብ ብሔር ብሔረሰቦችና ሕዝቦች ክልል, Yädäbub Bḥer Bḥeräsäbočna Hzboč Kllə) is a regional state in southwestern ...

Gambela Region The Gambela Region (also spelled Gambella; am, ጋምቤላ), officially the Gambela Peoples' Region, is a regional state in western Ethiopia, bordering South Sudan. Previously known as Region 12, its capital is Gambela. The Region is situate ...

, and

Benishangul-Gumuz Region Benishangul-Gumuz ( am, ቤንሻንጉል ጉሙዝ, Benšangul Gumuz) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in northwestern Ethiopia to the border of Sudan. It was previously known as Region 6. The region's capital is Assosa. Following the ...

from the late 19th century onwards. This was a historical development that came to an end in 1974 with the fall of Emperor Haile Sellasie’s monarchy and the rise to power of the ''

Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

ue'' communist regime. However, Neftengna is a name often related to the ethnic Amhara, the second most populous ethnic group in Ethiopia. Interfaith tensions add another layer of complexity. Some Oromo nationalists portray the Orthodox Christian church as part of the predominantly Amhara power structure under the old imperial regime, which they accuse of suppressing their identities and culture for centuries. During October 2019 Ethiopian clashes, Orthodox Christian leaders reported mobs targeting their congregants and churches, while demonstrators also attacked a mosque in Adama, in central Oromia. Indeed, the targeting of Orthodox churches as a symbol of the old establishment is a problem not limited to

; protesters attacked churches in the

Somali Region The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional stat ...

in August 2018 and in

in July 2019.

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

established civil society groups such as the Inter-Religious Council and elders from the various ethnic groups to stimulate dialogue among elites and the grassroots. Following these efforts, community members among the Ethiopian diaspora community were calling for tolerance and coexistence among followers of the two major religions in Ethiopia. Amhara–Oromo fighting at several universities has sharpened tensions. Mounting religious tensions risk edging a political dispute over Amhara–Oromo federal power-sharing into a sectarian contest. Similarly, violence between Amhara security forces and militia comprising Qemant people left tens dead. The Qemant are a minority in Amhara pursuing greater autonomy. TPLF leaders are also angry at the displacement of around 100,000 Tigrayans, mostly from Amhara and Oromia regions, during and after the 2015–2018 anti-government protests. Since Abiy's rise to power, trends in Amhara are as troubling as those in Oromia and recent mass unrest occurred when Amhara nationalist militias attempted

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, ...

. The Oromo have themselves long faced marginalisation and exclusion at the hands of the central government; in this instance, those targeted have largely comprised members of other ethnic groups that constitute minorities in the Oromia region.

Response

At 9 a.m., 30 June 2020, the internet was cut across much of

, a measure found by telecoms watchdog

NetBlocks NetBlocks is a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the Internet. The service was launched in 2017 to monitor Internet freedom. Work Projects NetBlocks publishes original reporting on Internet governance ...

to be consistent with previous national internet shutdowns imposed by the government during unrest.

expressed his condolences to Hundessa's family, saying that Hachalu's assassins intended not to kill him alone but "through him to kill Ethiopia", while also urging calm amid growing unrest. Media owner and activist Jawar Mohammed responded to Hundessa's death on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

, saying "They did not just kill Hachalu. They shot at the heart of the Oromo Nation, once again!!...You can kill us, all of us, you can never ever stop us!! NEVER!!" Ethiopians on social media, including the country's ambassador to Washington, expressed their shock at the killing of the popular musician. On Oromia Media Network (OMN), a caller said “Oromo should be organized, do not sit home do nothing and anyone against Oromo should take measure”. Members of Amhara ethnic groups accused media outlets of actively instigating the attacks live and instructing the attackers and broadcast a series of inflammatory hate-filled messages, including calls to lock and burn the homes of

Amhara people Amharas ( am, አማራ, Āmara; gez, ዐምሐራ, ʾÄməḥära) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group which is indigenous to Ethiopia, traditionally inhabiting parts of the northwest Highlands of Ethiopia, particularly inhabiting the Amhara ...

but with no supporting evidence. On 30 June 2020, Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba were arrested by Ethiopian Federal police after an incident between Jawar's guards and police that resulted in the death of a police officer. The incident happened when Jawar and his guards intercepted the transportation of the remains of Hachalu Hundessa to his home town of Ambo, which lies 100 km west of

. Jawar wanted to have the funeral in

, while Hachalu's parents and wife wanted to have the burial in Ambo. The government claimed that the intention was to have Hundessa's funeral in

so that angry Oromo youths that would come to the city would destroy statues and monuments in the city, a move that would have put them on a collision course with the city residents. The plan was to use the ensuing violence in discrediting and overthrowing the government of

. Thirty-five people, including Jawar, were apprehended, along with eight Kalashnikovs, five pistols, and nine radio transmitters from his bodyguards. Subsequently, former journalist-turned-politician

Eskinder Nega Eskinder Nega ( Ge'ez: እስክንድር ነጋ, born 7 November 1969) is an Ethiopian journalist, blogger and politician who has been jailed at least ten times by the Ethiopian government on convictions for treason and terrorism. Early life ...

and Sintayehu Chekol from the Balderas movement, a critic of both the government and Oromo ethno-nationalists, were also arrested for "attempting to incite violence." As of 5 July, police have arrested at least four people in direct connection with Hachalu's death. Abiy reportedly suggested that

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

may be behind the unrest, saying "those external and internal forces who were not successful with the

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam , image = , image_caption = The main dam after first filling , image_alt = , location_map_caption = , coordinates = , country = Ethiopia , location = Guba, Benishangul-Gumuz Region , purpose = Power , status = UC , construction_began ...

issue have tried their utmost efforts to create chaos at this time". An Egyptian diplomat responded by saying that Egypt "has nothing to do with current tensions in Ethiopia."

Ian Bremmer Ian Arthur Bremmer (born November 12, 1969) is an American political scientist and author with a focus on global political risk. He is the president and founder of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm with principal offi ...

wrote in a

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on M ...

article that Prime Minister Abiy "may just be looking for a scapegoat that can unite Ethiopians against a perceived common enemy." While some have welcomed the government's move as a "firm response" to restore order and provide accountability, others have warned that a crackdown, in light of delayed elections, would "exacerbate underlying tensions, and put thiopia'snascent democracy into danger."

Demonstrations outside Ethiopia

Oromos held protests in

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Citi ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, among other locations, demanding justice for Hachalu Hundessa and the release of political prisoners Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, and dozens of Oromia Media Network journalists. On 30 June 2020, a statue of

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( e ...

in Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon, South West London, was destroyed by Oromo protesters. The offices of the state-run Oromia Broadcasting Network in

St. Anthony, Minnesota St. Anthony, also known as Saint Anthony Village, is a city in Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. At the 2010 census the population was 8,226, of whom 5,156 lived in the larger Hennepin County part of the city and 3,0 ...

were ransacked by protesters, forcing the station to suspend operations. Another group of demonstrators blocked traffic in

Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. The city's population was 386,261 at the 2020 United States Census with 336,035 residing in Arapahoe County, 47,720 residing in A ...

in reaction to the death Hundessa. Some Oromo activists and ethnic nationalists have drawn parallels between the Hachalu Hundessa riots in

with the

in the United States, although critics argued such claims were flawed and served as an alibi for ethnically motivated violence, especially as a justification for

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russian ...

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

s in Ethiopia, including the Shashamane massacre.

Investigations and court cases

The

published its full report on 1 January 2021, finding the killings to have constituted a

. The EHRC report counted 123 people killed during 30 June to 2 July 2020 in the 40 locations investigated, and 500 injured. Among the 123 lethal victims, 76 deaths were caused by security forces, 35 by individuals and groups participating in the events, and 12 died from violent events such as bombs or fire. The EHRC found that the deliberate attacks against civilians constituted a

, arguing that the necessary legal elements were present: * a large number of organised people moved around with the intention of killing, injuring and displacing people and destroying property; * the actions were widespread and systematic attacks against civilians; * some of the targets were selected based on ethnic and religious identity; * the perpetrators were aware of the actions as part of a systematic attack against civilians; * online social media and television content and slogans chanted by perpetrators showed deliberate intent by the perpetrators. The EHRC reported successful limitation of the attacks by security forces in some areas, and failures by the security forces to respond to victims' repeated calls for help in other places. Some medical staff refused to treat survivors of the attacks. Some of the use of lethal force by security forces was "highly questionable", leading to the deaths of passersby uninvolved in the protests and mediators. The EHRC stated that it was unaware of investigations and judicial procedures in relation to the security forces' actions. In its report, the EHRC called on regional and federal authorities to carry out investigations and judicial procedures and to develop institutions for long-term solutions for discrimination and attacks on minorities.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , author1=

, language = am , title= "መንግሥት ያለ አይመስልም ነበር" – የአርቲስት ሃጫሉ ሁንዴሳ ግድያን ተከትሎ በተከሰተው የፀጥታ መደፍረስ ምክንያት የተፈጸሙ የሰብአዊ መብቶች ጥሰት ምርመራ ሪፖርት , trans-title = "The government did not seem to exist" – Report on the investigation of human rights violations in relation to the assassination of Hachalu Hundessa , date= 2020-12-31 , newspaper=

Addis Standard ''Addis Standard'' is an Ethiopian monthly social, economic and political news magazine published and distributed by Jakenn Publishing Plc, and was established in February 2011 by Tsedale Lemma. The magazine has an independent political stance. ...

, url= https://addisstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/“መንግሥት-ያለ-አይመስልም-ነበር”-Full-Report-Amharic.pdf , accessdate=2021-01-02 , archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20210102142333/https://addisstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/%E2%80%9C%E1%88%98%E1%8A%95%E1%8C%8D%E1%88%A5%E1%89%B5-%E1%8B%AB%E1%88%88-%E1%8A%A0%E1%8B%AD%E1%88%98%E1%88%B5%E1%88%8D%E1%88%9D-%E1%8A%90%E1%89%A0%E1%88%AD%E2%80%9D-Full-Report-Amharic.pdf , archivedate= 2021-01-02 , url-status=live {{cite news , title= News Analysis: 123 people killed in June-July unrest, 76 by security forces; attacks constitute elements of crime against humanity: Ethiopia Rights Commission , date= 2020-01-01 , newspaper=

, url= https://addisstandard.com/news-analysis-123-people-killed-in-june-july-unrest-76-by-security-forces-attacks-constitute-elements-of-crime-against-humanity-ethiopia-rights-commission/ , accessdate=2021-01-02 , archiveurl= https://archive.today/20210102142252/https://addisstandard.com/news-analysis-123-people-killed-in-june-july-unrest-76-by-security-forces-attacks-constitute-elements-of-crime-against-humanity-ethiopia-rights-commission/ , archivedate= 2021-01-02 , url-status=live 2020 crimes in Ethiopia 2020 riots 2020 murders in Ethiopia Arson in the 2020s Attacks in Africa in 2020 Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present) June 2020 crimes in Africa Riots and civil disorder in Ethiopia Mass murder in 2020 Oromia Region Massacres in Ethiopia June 2020 events in Africa July 2020 events in Africa Massacres of Amhara people