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Bekele's body arrived at Meskel Square at about 11 am in a hearse decorated with garlands, followed by about fifty white cars. Witnesses told CNN that some members of the crowd became angry after being prevented from following Bekele's coffin until the church where he was to be buried.
"For about 20 minutes, they chanted that this government was not yet democratic," said Bisrat Teshome, a 35-year-old economist who was on the square.
Several protesters then attempted to mount a pole and replace the current Ethiopian flag, which carries a star, with an older version without the emblem, in an act of political challenge.
The star is a symbol of diversity and unity, but a long time ago the public was upset by the fact that it was added to the flag without proper consultation, said Mr. Teshome.
"They (the police) started throwing tear gas between people, and then everyone ran away, it was the first time I saw tear gas," Teshome says. Witnesses told CNN that tear gas bombs were projected on CNN
When CNN contacted the police for tear gas information, an unidentified spokesman declined to comment and hung up. Follow-up attempts to obtain comment from the Ethiopian police have so far been unsuccessful.
Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gathered for Bekele's funeral at Meskel Square – the same place where his body was found three days earlier in what is widely regarded as an assassination.
Cries could be heard across the capital as those gathered called for an appropriate investigation into Bekele's death.
The security for the state funeral was extremely tight, with roads around the square closed and armed soldiers lined the streets.
A Popular Figure
Bekele was an extremely popular figure who had become synonymous with the nation's ambitious dam project, a source of national pride.
"This guy had been hoping Ethiopians," said Abel Wabella, 31, editor of the Gobena Street news site, who was at the funeral. "He had been talking to people about this megaproject for seven years, everyone knew who he was."
A large brass band conducted Bekele's coffin through the city to the Holy Trinity Church, where he was to be buried alongside Emperor Haile Selassie I, the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the British suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst.
In a country divided by tribal politics, Bekele's funeral was a unifying factor that crossed the ethnic lines.
"All Ethiopian ethnic groups are saddened and angered by what has happened to it," said Wabella. "The people here are not Amhara (the tribal group of Bekele)."
A period of revolutionary change
Ethiopia has experienced a period of unprecedented change since the 1960s. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in April.
This is the third time the public has rally en masse to Meskel Square during Abiy's tenure as head of the nation.
In three months, Abiy released thousands of political prisoners and ended the state of war. promised to open the economy and, just this weekend, visited Ethiopian immigrants in Washington, DC, to ask them to come back to help build the country's democratic future.
But while there is currently a resurgence of optimism in Ethiopia, there is
At a rally at which Abiy participated in Meskel Square in June, an explosion took place. caused two deaths and more than 150 wounded. The next day, the citizens held a big rally in the same place to show their support for Abiy's reforms. 19659002] Abiy is the first Ethiopian Prime Minister of the Oromo ethnic group, which represents about one third of the 100 million people of the African nation. His appointment by the ruling coalition was seen as a way to calm divisions between the Oromo and other ethnic groups.
The Dam of the Great Renaissance
The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is one of Africa's most ambitious infrastructure projects, reaffirming the objectives of Ethiopia to become a key regional player and a major exporter of power. completed, the dam on the Blue Nile River will produce about 6,000 megawatts of electricity for domestic use and exports.
The most striking aspect of this business of nearly $ 5 billion is that it is fully funded by Ethiopia without any foreign investment. According to the authorities, 20% of the project is financed by the offer of obligations to Ethiopians and the remaining 80% by the collection of the tax.
Belachew Mekuria, head of the Ethiopian Investment Commission, said that everyone in the country felt they had contributed to the dam – one of the reasons why Bekele's death shook the nation so powerfully.
That means saying no to the characterization of Ethiopia as a land of famine, as a land of the poor, "he said. In short, he said, the success of the dam would "symbolize" the future of Ethiopia.
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