Funeral held for slain Ethiopian singer

<p>The funeral of Hachalu Hundessa, the slain Ethiopian singer, was held Thursday in his hometown of Ambo, in the Oromia region. </p> <p>The singer, whose highly political lyrics expressed frustrations of the Oromo people, who have long considered themselves marginalised, was shot dead Monday night in Addis Ababa.</p> <p>His death immediately rekindled tensions. Demonstrations resulted in the deaths of 81 people and increased political and communal tensions in the country.</p> <p>Over the past two days, demonstrators have been expressing their anger in the capital and in Oromia, the stronghold of the Oromo people, the country’s largest ethnic group.</p> <p>It was a federal government plan to expand the capital into Oromia that triggered the anti-government protests in 2015 that led to Abiy Ahmed’s accession to power three years later.</p> <p>Since assuming office, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner has worked to promote political and economic reforms. </p> <p>However, this has opened the way open for inter-communal violence, which is putting the Ethiopian system of ethnic federalism to the test.</p> <p><strong><span class="caps">AFP</span></strong></p>