The death of Simegnew Bekele, the project manager of the multi-billion-dollar Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, has been met by an outpouring of grief in Ethiopia. (Getty Images)
BBC News
Condolences flooded social media from journalists, businessmen academics, ambassadors and even flag-carrying Ethiopian Airlines after it was reported that Mr Simegnew’s body was found in a car in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Thursday.
We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the heroic professional, Engineer Simegnew Bekele. We Ethiopians will always treasure his heroic deeds and his legacy will live on. pic.twitter.com/DgySh5TAUf
— Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) July 26, 2018
The police are investigating the circumstances of his death. He died as a result of a bullet wound and a hand gun was found in his car, which was parked in Meskel Square in the city centre.
By the afternoon, hundreds had taken to the streets in the capital, as well as Mr Simegnew’s hometown of Gondar, with protesters demanding “justice” for the late engineer.
To understand why a project manager has managed to elicit such shock and widespread mourning – normally seen in other countries after the death of royalty, celebrities or politicians – one has to look at what the Grand Ethiopian Dam has come to represent.
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Related:
Ethiopian dam engineer Simegnew Bekele’s funeral draws thousands
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