A wave of deadly violence ripped through Ethiopia’s capital and much of the country’s largest state, Oromia, after the 29 June assassination of a prominent Oromo musician brought thousands of protesters into the streets. Dozens were killed by a combination of armed gangs rampaging through mixed ethnic settlements and the police, who deployed lethal force to tackle them. The violence is the latest bout of escalating unrest punctuating Ethiopia’s halting transition to multiparty politics. It could well presage a period of sustained instability in Oromia, which was the epicentre of the 2014-2017 protests that paved the way for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s rise to power and which is now home to an armed insurgency. Government and opposition leaders should urgently appeal for calm. Abiy should invite key opposition leaders for dialogue on the issues that divide them, including, most urgently, planning for delayed elections initially slated for August. Engaging his rivals might reduce Ethiopian actors’ temptation to settle differences on the street, a dynamic that risks tipping the country into graver conflict.
