Deadly clashes between two major ethnic groups in Ethiopia’s Gambella region have left dozens of people dead including a senior police officer, APA can report on Thursday.
Nuer and Anuak, the two ethnic groups which constitute the first and second largest, respectively, in Gambella region, clashed on Tuesday and continued on Thursday in the regional capital.
The clashes were triggered following the assassination of Gambella city’s police chief, Umod Ujulu, who was Anuak by ethnicity by his deputy from the Nuer ethnic group.
Sporadic shooting continued today, leaving major parts of the city deserted.
Residents told APA that the region’s security structure is “unable to control the situation due to ethnic division.
The residents said armed individuals are entering through the South Sudan border under the guise of refugees, taking advantage of the open border to loot and destroy property.
The residents linked the violence to regional politics, warning that certain countries might be providing arms to militants to weaken Ethiopia.
They said “power struggles and land grabbing” as the main drivers of the crisis. Responding to residents’ claims that the removal of checkpoints facilitated arms trafficking, they explained that the checkpoints were removed to reduce harassment of investors and traders.
According to information reaching APA, more than 10 civilians have been killed so far, with the actual toll potentially higher.
The Gambella region’s government said it is working in coordination with the federal government to contain the unrest with the federal troops having been deployed since Thursday morning.
The Gambella region’s police commission announced the arrest of 18 suspects in connection to the riot and murder of the police officer.
MG/as/APA