Mass arrests in Ethiopia raise spectre of repressive past

Aselefech Mulatu, wife of Dejene Tafa, a politician who is in custody, and their children are seen during a Reuters interview at their home in Oromiya region's Burayu town northwest of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia August 5, 2020. REUTERS/Dawit Endeshaw

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia has detained more than 9,000 people after deadly clashes last month, the state-run human rights commission told Reuters, raising fears that a government hailed for reforms is returning to the iron-fisted tactics of past administrations.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2018 promising democratic changes in one of Africa's most repressive nations, is struggling to rein in resurgent ethnic nationalism that sporadically explodes in bouts of violence.