Demonstrators chant from atop of a car during an Oromo community protest after the death of musician and activist Hachalu Hundessa on July 1, 2020 in St Paul, Minnesota. PHOTO | BRANDON BELL | AFP
Officials have attributed the deaths to a combination of lethal force by security officers and inter-ethnic violence.
Protests broke out in the capital Addis Ababa, as well as the surrounding Oromia region which is the homeland of the country's largest ethnic group, who have long felt economically and politically sidelined in the diverse nation.
The death toll from demonstrations and ethnic violence that erupted in Ethiopia last week following the murder of a popular singer from the Oromo ethnic group has risen to 239, according to a tally of police figures.
Pop star Hachalu Hundessa, a hero to many Oromo who saw him as the voice of their marginalisation, was shot dead by unknown attackers on Monday of last week, fuelling ethnic tensions threatening the country's democratic transition.
