Ethiopia’s western Benishangul-Gumuz region reported on the killing of at least 42 fighters who took part in a massacre. As Reuters reported on Thursday, it was the biggest massacre along ethnic lines in the country.
More than 100 people have been killed in the western part of Ethiopia during the latest bloody bath along ethnic lines in the country. The officials echoed witnesses who said that at least 102 people were killed in the attack early on Wednesday in the Metekel zone.
Ethnic tensions are a big challenge as prime minister Abiy tries to promote national unity in a country with more than 80 ethnic groups.
The tragedy occurred a day after the Etiopia’s PM Abiy Ahmed visited the region. In his address, the top official spoke about the need to bring to justice those responsible for the recent attacks.
The attacks are separate from the deadly conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region where Ethiopian forces and allied regional forces began fighting Tigray regional forces early November.
Federal troops deployed in other regions of Africa’s second-most populous nation were deployed to fight in that conflict, raising fears of a security vacuum.
Over a month, the Tigray remains the most fragile in Ethiopia and requires daily attention. PM’s government had been grappling with rising insecurity in many parts of the country. Violence between groups fighting over land and other resources has forced many hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes following Abiy taking office in 2018, according to UN estimates.
The PM’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the attack on Wednesday.
