Ethiopia cannot be a land of peace, democracy and social justice as long as all political actors disrespect the public. A peaceful and democratic political engagement will remain elusive if the ruling party in particular and its rivals do not put the public interest above theirs.

Ethiopia’s elites need to be encouraged when they strive to learn from the mistakes of the past to build a better future.

There seems to be no end in sight to the economic havoc the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking on the global economy.

Ethiopia continues to be beset by multi-pronged challenges endangering public peace and national security. Politicians loathe to engage in a constructive dialogue are not stopping at anything, including spilling the blood of innocent citizens, to settle a score.

Presently Ethiopians have a raft of critical undertakings on their plate.

Ethiopian politics continues to be a shouting match between the vocal minority that are adept at drowning out the silent majority.

The instigators of the recent violence in which hundreds of innocent civilians were brutally massacred and had their properties burned to the ground are now accusing the government of using excessive force to quell the violence and pontificating about respect for human rights.

It’s becoming clearer by the day that there are sinister forces behind the June 29 assassination of the Oromiffa singing sensation Hachalu Hundessa and the ensuing violence that led to the death of hundreds of defenseless citizens as well as the destruction of both private and public property across Addis Ababa and some cities in the Oromia regional state.

The deadly violence which rocked some parts of Ethiopia last week did not come as a surprise to many who had been expressing misgivings that it was certain to happen.

First we would like to express our deepest sorrow on the callous killing of the Oromiffa singing sensation Hachalu Hundessa this Monday. The perpetrators of this outrage must be brought to justice within the shortest possible time.