Ethiopia charges opposition members amid July violence

Ethiopia has announced it will engage legal pursuits against opposition leaders, including Jawar Mohammed et Bekele Gerba of the Oromo Federalist Congress members.

Terrorism and telecom fraud-related charges that relate to the deadly unrest that erupted in July.

Following the killing of singer Hachalu Hundessa, parts of the capital, Addis Ababa, and the Oromia region were plunged into chaos, as several thousands of Ethiopians took to the streets.

A prominent voice in anti-government protests, Hachalu's death caused turmoil that lasted for several days, during which acts of violence are said to have caused the death of close to 200 people.

Despite being Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo have never held the country’s top post until they helped bring Abiy Ahmed to power.

Now ethnic tensions and intercommunal violence are posing a growing challenge to his reforms.