CORRECTS - Opposition political figure shot dead in Ethiopia’s Oromia region

CORRECTS NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN LAST PARAGRAPH

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - A prominent political officer of Ethiopia’s Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) was fatally shot in the sensitive Oromia region, local media reported Wednesday.

According to a family member, Bate Urgessa was forcibly taken from his hotel room late Tuesday, only for his lifeless body to be discovered by the roadside the following morning in his hometown of Meki, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa, said Addis Standard, an online outlet.

Bate’s death has drawn widespread condemnation and triggered calls for a comprehensive investigation, including from the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

“@EthioHRC calls for a prompt, impartial & full investigation by both the Oromia regional & Ethiopia federal authorities to hold perpetrators to account,” Daniel Bekele, who sits on the commission, wrote on X.

Bate, known for his fervent activism and advocacy for Oromo rights, last month was released on bail after facing allegations of inciting unrest.

Allegations have been raised of possible involvement of government security forces in his abduction and subsequent killing.

The Oromo Liberation Front called the killing a targeted attack and called for an immediate and impartial investigation by international human rights groups.

“The unwarranted and extrajudicial killing of conscious and active Oromo political and cultural figures has been a systematic and irresponsible act of silencing the Oromo throughout years and decades,” the party said in a statement.

Bate, a father of four, was a member and political officer of the OLF, one of the oldest political parties in Ethiopia, founded over half a century ago.