Ethiopia’s government has deployed its federal army in Gambella region where ethnic-clashes have claimed at least 100 civilians, APA can report over the weekend.
The regional government in a statement said the clashes spread in different parts of the region, reaching to the point where the regional security cannot be put under control.
According to the regional government, several districts are experiencing security problems with civilians being killed amid clashes between the two largest ethnic groups in the region.
“Evil forces have attempted to lead the region to total mayhem by killing people in different areas, attacking vehicles, targeting security and government officials,” the regional government said in a statement it shared on social media.
Alemitu Umod, president of the region, said the security crisis has continued despite deployment of the Nation Defense and Federal Police Forces.
Eye witnesses told APA that the security forces were stopping vehicles randomly and searching. As the regional government urged residents to cooperate with federal troops and abide by the curfew and restriction of vehicle mobility.
The ongoing security crisis worsened after Umod Ujulu, Gambella City Police Commander, was killed on Tuesday.
Gambella region’s fragility can be traced to a long history of marginalization. Despite its strategic location along the South Sudan border and its immense agricultural and ecological potential, the region has remained one of Ethiopia’s least developed.
Infrastructure is limited, access to education and health services is uneven, and employment opportunities are scarce. This chronic underdevelopment has created fertile ground for resentment, particularly among youth who see little stake in the political or economic order. When violence erupts, it is often an expression of accumulated grievances rather than spontaneous hostility.
MG/as/APA