Ethnic clashes kill 44 in restive western Ethiopia

People who fled the violence in the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa sit at a youth centre used as a temporary shelter, on September 18, 2018. - The state-owned Ethiopia News Agency said on September 17 an organised mob carried out a spree of murder and looting in and around Burayu town, leaving 23 people dead and 886 displaced. PHOTO | SAMUEL HABTAB | AFP

What you need to know:

  • The clashes occurred on the border between the central Oromia and western Benishangul-Gumuz regions.

  • Violence began when officials from Benishangul-Gumuz were killed by unidentified gunmen.

ADDIS ABABA,

Weekend fighting between rival ethnic groups in western Ethiopia killed at least 44 people, State affiliated media reported Tuesday.

The clashes occurred on the border between the central Oromia and western Benishangul-Gumuz regions.

RIVAL GROUPS

Violence began when officials from Benishangul-Gumuz were killed by unidentified gunmen, said the Walta Media and Communication Corporate, citing the region's communications chief Zelalem Jaleta.

The clashes between youths from rival ethnic groups armed with rocks and knives forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes with security forces deployed to pacify the area.

Benishangul-Gumuz is one of Ethiopia's nine regional states, stretching to the border with Sudan.

The UN humanitarian office OCHA said some 70,000 people had been displaced in the wave of violence. In its latest update, OCHA said the fighting began last Wednesday with the death of the four high-ranking officials.

REFORMIST AGENDA

While Ethiopia's new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has received praise from around the globe for his reformist agenda, a wave of communal violence -- mostly over land issues -- has marred the first few months of his rule.

At least 58 people were killed in September when fighting broke out in the capital, with those fleeing saying they were targeted by Oromo mobs because they are members of minority ethnic groups.

Fighting between the Oromo -- the country's largest ethnic group -- and the Gedeo minority in the south of the country meanwhile has displaced nearly one million people.