Two days of protests have left at least 81 people dead in&nbsp;Ethiopia, a police chief said Wednesday, after the murder of a popular singer from the country's largest ethnic group stoked tensions that threaten to derail the country's democratic transition.

The military was deployed in the&nbsp;Ethiopian capital on Wednesday, as armed gangs roamed neighbourhoods in a second day of unrest&nbsp;that has&nbsp;deepened political divisions in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's political heartland.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-52-killed-in-ethiopia-protests-over-singers-death-309893">At least 52 killed in Ethiopia protests over singer's death</a>

Hachalu Hundessa, whose political songs gave voice to the Oromo's longstanding sense of marginalisation, was shot dead on Monday night.

Angry protests broke out in Addis Ababa and the region of Oromia which surrounds it, the heartland of the Oromo people who have long complained of oppression at the hands of smaller ethnic groups in the diverse country of 100 million people.

<img alt="Protest" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8a0d6e15-c428-4339-9e95-d91f9a063a6a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2879%29_2.jpg" />

Smoke rises over Addis Ababa skyline during protests following the fatal shooting of the&nbsp;Ethiopian musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, in Addis Ababa,&nbsp;Ethiopia| REUTERS

"So far 81 people have been killed, including three Oromia special police force members," Ararsa Merdasa, the Oromia police chief, said on Wednesday in a televised press briefing.

On Wednesday the worst violence took place in Hachalu's hometown of Ambo, west of Addis Ababa.

At the core of the anger was Oromo nationalists' desire to see Hachalu buried in Addis Ababa, historically at the heart of their territory, from where they feel they have been displaced.

It was a plan by the federal government to expand the capital into surrounding Oromia which kickstarted years of anti-government protests which swept Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to power in 2018, as the first Oromo to hold the post.&nbsp;

Oromia police chief Ararsa said "there was a grenade attack on the family home of Hachalu Hundessa in Ambo. That grenade attack killed his uncle and injured two police officers."

He urged the public to be calm ahead of the funeral.

Ambo spokesman Milkessa Beyene said that Hachalu's body had arrived in the town for burial on Thursday but "a group of youths who wanted the funeral to happen in Addis Ababa clashed with security forces, causing unrest."

He said there were "fatalities", including Hachalu's uncle.

Two days of protests have left at least 81 people dead in Ethiopia, a police chief said Wednesday, after the murder of a popular singer from the country's largest ethnic group stoked tensions that threaten to derail the country's democratic transition.

Two days of protests have left at least 81 people dead in Ethiopia, a police chief said Wednesday, after the murder of a popular singer from the country's largest ethnic group stoked tensions that threaten to derail the country's democratic transition. The military was deployed in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday, as armed gangs roamed neighbourhoods in a second day of unrest that has deepened political divisions in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's political heartland. Also read: At least 52 killed in Ethiopia protests over singer's death Hachalu Hundessa, whose political songs gave voice to the Oromo's longstanding sense of marginalisation, was shot dead on Monday night. Angry protests broke out in Addis Ababa and the region of Oromia which surrounds it, the heartland of the Oromo people who have long complained of oppression at the hands of smaller ethnic groups in the diverse country of 100 million people. Smoke rises over Addis Ababa skyline during protests following the fatal shooting of the Ethiopian musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia| REUTERS "So far 81 people have been killed, including three Oromia special police force members," Ararsa Merdasa, the Oromia police chief, said on Wednesday in a televised press briefing. On Wednesday the worst violence took place in Hachalu's hometown of Ambo, west of Addis Ababa. At the core of the anger was Oromo nationalists' desire to see Hachalu buried in Addis Ababa, historically at the heart of their territory, from where they feel they have been displaced. It was a plan by the federal government to expand the capital into surrounding Oromia which kickstarted years of anti-government protests which swept Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to power in 2018, as the first Oromo to hold the post. Oromia police chief Ararsa said "there was a grenade attack on the family home of Hachalu Hundessa in Ambo. That grenade attack killed his uncle and injured two police officers." He urged the public to be calm ahead of the funeral. Ambo spokesman Milkessa Beyene said that Hachalu's body had arrived in the town for burial on Thursday but "a group of youths who wanted the funeral to happen in Addis Ababa clashed with security forces, causing unrest." He said there were "fatalities", including Hachalu's uncle.

Ethiopia protests: 81 killed in violence after death of singer; military deployed

Businesses were closed and stone-wielding men blocked roads near <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Ethiopia" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/ethiopia-protests-block-roads-shut-businesses/articleshow/62905021.cms~Ethiopia-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Ethiopia">Ethiopia</a>&#39;s capital on Tuesday in the latest anti-government protest by the Oromo people, the country&#39;s largest ethnicity.

It is the second day of a three-day strike called by the Oromo people and follows a nationwide state of emergency last year after protests turned deadly. 
 
&quot;Without any mistakes or any wrongdoing, our people are being chained. In our own country, we are considered as second-class citizens,&quot; said Dina Abdela. 
 
He and other young men had blocked one of the major roads heading northwest from the capital Addis Ababa. 
 
On the city&#39;s outskirts, businesses were shut and most cars stayed off the road, with a protester striking a vehicle carrying AFP journalists with a rock at a makeshift roadblock near the town of Burayu to the west of Addis Ababa. 
 
No deaths were reported but a protester in Burayu told AFP that one man was injured during clashes when police tried to clear the demonstration.

Dina said the strike, which ends on Wednesday, spread by word of mouth and was intended to pressure the government to release prisoners, including opposition politician Bekele Gerba. 
 
Ethiopia&#39;s attorney general said on Monday the government would drop charges against Bekele, the deputy leader of the opposition <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Oromo-Federalist-Congress" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/ethiopia-protests-block-roads-shut-businesses/articleshow/62905021.cms~Oromo Federalist Congress-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Oromo-Federalist-Congress">Oromo Federalist Congress</a> who was arrested in late 2015. 
 
But protesters said they didn&#39;t trust the authorities to keep their word.

&quot;It&#39;s not only Bekele Gerba,&quot; said protester Gemechu Tefa. &quot;All of our people need to be released.&quot; 
 
There was no immediate reaction from the government.

Unrest first broke out among the Oromo people in late 2015 when the government proposed expanding the capital&#39;s boundaries into their federal region, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Oromia" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/ethiopia-protests-block-roads-shut-businesses/articleshow/62905021.cms~Oromia-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Oromia">Oromia</a>. 
 
The protests later spread across the country, leading to hundreds of deaths, tens of thousands of arrests and the declaration of a 10-month state of emergency in October 2016.

It is the second day of a three-day strike called by the Oromo people and follows a nationwide state of emergency last year after protests turned deadly

Businesses were closed and stone-wielding men blocked roads near Ethiopia's capital on Tuesday in the latest anti-government protest by the Oromo people, the country's largest ethnicity. It is the second day of a three-day strike called by the Oromo people and follows a nationwide state of emergency last year after protests turned deadly. "Without any mistakes or any wrongdoing, our people are being chained. In our own country, we are considered as second-class citizens," said Dina Abdela. He and other young men had blocked one of the major roads heading northwest from the capital Addis Ababa. On the city's outskirts, businesses were shut and most cars stayed off the road, with a protester striking a vehicle carrying AFP journalists with a rock at a makeshift roadblock near the town of Burayu to the west of Addis Ababa. No deaths were reported but a protester in Burayu told AFP that one man was injured during clashes when police tried to clear the demonstration. Dina said the strike, which ends on Wednesday, spread by word of mouth and was intended to pressure the government to release prisoners, including opposition politician Bekele Gerba. Ethiopia's attorney general said on Monday the government would drop charges against Bekele, the deputy leader of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress who was arrested in late 2015. But protesters said they didn't trust the authorities to keep their word. "It's not only Bekele Gerba," said protester Gemechu Tefa. "All of our people need to be released." There was no immediate reaction from the government. Unrest first broke out among the Oromo people in late 2015 when the government proposed expanding the capital's boundaries into their federal region, Oromia. The protests later spread across the country, leading to hundreds of deaths, tens of thousands of arrests and the declaration of a 10-month state of emergency in October 2016.

Ethiopia protests block roads, shut businesses

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn declared an emergency for six months in the country saying that it was &#39;vital&#39; to restore normalcy in the country which has been rocked by anti-government protests since the last few months. He also said that the emergency would come into effect from October 8.

&quot;A state of emergency has been declared because the situation posed a threat against the people of the country. The state of emergency is vital. It is essential to restore peace and stability over a short period of time,&quot; Hailemariam said on state-run television.

He also said that his government, the Ethiopian People&#39;s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition, was considering reforms and would hold talks with opposition parties.

Ethiopia is facing its biggest anti-governemnt protests in a decade led by the Oromo and the Amhara communities, which constitute 60% of the population, are unhappy with the excessive power wielded by the minority Tigrean community in the government and security forces.

The protests intensified after 55 people were killed in a stampede after police fired tear-gas at anti-government protesters during a festival in the Oromo region. One of Africa&#39;s fastest growing economies, Ethiopia has also been criticised for the authoritarian approach to development and for displacement of farmers to make way for commercial agriculture.

Last week, protesters torched vehicles and damaged almost a dozen mostly foreign-owned factories and flower farms, protesting against the land grab policy of the government.

More than 450 the number of people have been killed in the unrest since 2015, say rights groups and opponents. A US researcher was killed on Tuesday when her car was attacked by stone-throwers near Addis Ababa.

The government, however, claims that the toll has been inflated.

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

A wave of unrest has gripped the country over land grabs and rights

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn declared an emergency for six months in the country saying that it was 'vital' to restore normalcy in the country which has been rocked by anti-government protests since the last few months. He also said that the emergency would come into effect from October 8. "A state of emergency has been declared because the situation posed a threat against the people of the country. The state of emergency is vital. It is essential to restore peace and stability over a short period of time," Hailemariam said on state-run television. He also said that his government, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition, was considering reforms and would hold talks with opposition parties. Ethiopia is facing its biggest anti-governemnt protests in a decade led by the Oromo and the Amhara communities, which constitute 60% of the population, are unhappy with the excessive power wielded by the minority Tigrean community in the government and security forces. The protests intensified after 55 people were killed in a stampede after police fired tear-gas at anti-government protesters during a festival in the Oromo region. One of Africa's fastest growing economies, Ethiopia has also been criticised for the authoritarian approach to development and for displacement of farmers to make way for commercial agriculture. Last week, protesters torched vehicles and damaged almost a dozen mostly foreign-owned factories and flower farms, protesting against the land grab policy of the government. More than 450 the number of people have been killed in the unrest since 2015, say rights groups and opponents. A US researcher was killed on Tuesday when her car was attacked by stone-throwers near Addis Ababa. The government, however, claims that the toll has been inflated. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Ethiopia declares 6-month emergency to 'restore order' after anti-government protests

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Ethiopia protests: 81 killed in violence after death of singer; military deployed

Ethiopia protests block roads, shut businesses

Ethiopia declares 6-month emergency to 'restore order' after anti-government protests