Ethiopia: Police fire tear gas during state funeral in Addis Ababa July 29 /update 1

Event

Tens of thousands of people attended a state funeral in Addis Ababa on Sunday, July 29, for Simegnew Bekele - the project manager of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - whose death has prompted an outpouring of grief and calls for justice. The funeral, held at Meskel Square, took place amid tight security, and police reportedly fired tear gas into crowds of mourners as the day progressed; local reports indicate that some people had become angry at being blocked from following Bekele's coffin to the church and others had attempted to remove the Ethiopian flag from a flag pole. Ethiopian police have not commented on Sunday's events. Related demonstrations are likely to continue in the near-term. 

Context

Simegnew Bekele was found dead in his car in Addis Ababa's Meskel Square on Thursday, July 26, with a bullet wound to his head, in what is generally believed to have been an assassination, although police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. As news of his death spread on Thursday, demonstrators took to the streets in Addis Ababa, as well as Bekele's hometown of Gondar, to call for justice.

Bekele had become a popular figure across the country as the face of the ambitious Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project, which has largely united Ethiopians as a symbol of national pride. Still years away from completion, once done, the dam is set to be the largest hydropower plant on the continent and will triple Ethiopia's electricity production. 

Advice

Individuals in Addis Ababa and across Ethiopia are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all protests and large public gatherings as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.