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| - A prominent Ethiopian opposition politician charged last year with terrorism has ended a hunger strike after nearly 40 days, his lawyer told AFP Monday. Jawar Mohammed, a member of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, is one of around 20 suspects facing trial on terrorism and other charges in connection with several days of grisly violence that left more than 100 people dead last June and July. The violence erupted after the shooting death in late June of Hachalu Hundessa, a popular singer from the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia's largest, who channelled Oromo feelings of political and economic marginalisation. In late January, Jawar joined Bekele Gerba, Hamza Borana and other detained Oromo politicians in launching a hunger strike. Their demands included improved treatment for visiting family and supporters and, more broadly, an end to legal and other harassment of Oromo opposition politicians. In recent weeks, though, Jawar's legal team had warned of possible "permanent health problems" as a result of the hunger strike, and family and supporters had urged him to stop. "Now it's come to an end -- at 6 pm today," lawyer Tuli Bayyisa told AFP Monday, noting that Bekele and Hamza had also ended their strikes. Jawar had recently been transferred to a private hospital, and Tuli said he expected his client to continue receiving medical treatment for several weeks. "The end of this 40-day hunger strike is bittersweet," Jawar's wife, Arfasse Gemeda, told AFP in a statement Monday. "On one hand I'm relieved that Jawar, Bekele, Hamza & others have stopped #StarvingForJustice. On the other hand the struggle must continue because their demands have not been met," she said. Jawar was once seen as an ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia's first Oromo ruler. But he has since accused Abiy -- who was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for resolving Ethiopia's border conflict with Eritrea -- of being a poor advocate of ethnic Oromos' interests and behaving like a dictator. Jawar is one of several high-profile opposition politicians behind bars as Ethiopia gears up for long-awaited national elections currently planned for June. rcb/np/gd
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