Image copyright Reuters Image caption Political activists from the Oromo ethnic group are believed to be held in the jail

At least 23 inmates have died after a fire at an Ethiopian prison where anti-government protesters are reportedly being held, the government has said.

A government statement says 21 died of suffocation after a stampede while two others were killed as they tried to escape.

Some local media have disputed the account, citing unnamed witnesses who say prisoners were shot by the wardens.

There has been an unprecedented wave of protests in Ethiopia in recent months.

The identity of the prisoners has not been made public.

Sustained gunfire could be heard coming from Qilinto prison, on the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa, after the fire broke out on Saturday, local media reported.

TV footage and photos posted on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from the prison compound.

Image copyright ESAT Image caption A TV station based outside Ethiopia broadcast footage of the fire

Reports that the fire was started deliberately as part of an attempted jailbreak have not been independently verified.

There have been numerous protests in the Oromia region by members of the country's largest ethnic group since November 2015.

Inside Qilinto prison by Tesfalem Waldyes

Qilinto is a remand prison, where people can be held for three years or more as they await trial.

The prison is divided in four zones made up of brick walls and tin-roofed cells.

The prison hosts around 3,000 inmates at a time who are held in cells measuring 24m by 12m. Each cell holds between 90 and 130 inmates.

It is a highly secured prison with surveillance cameras installed on many corners.

All types of prisoners are held there but it is where political prisoners including bloggers, journalists and activists are usually sent.

Political prisoners usually mix with other criminals but they are usually locked up in a designated "Kitat Bet" (punishment house) or "dark house" if they complain about mistreatment.

Inmates can be exposed to communicable diseases due to overcrowding and get poor medical attention.

Due to the bad quality of food provided by the prison administration, prisoners mainly depend on food brought by their families.

Tesfalem Waldyes is an Ethiopian journalist who was held in Qilinto prison for a year before being released in July 2015.

Many Oromo activists are being held at the Qilinto facility, according to pro-opposition media.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says that more than 400 people have been killed in clashes with the security forces in Oromia, although the government disputes this figure.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has blamed "anti-peace forces" for the violence.</s>23 die in Ethiopia prison fire over weekend, government says

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Twenty-three people have died in a prison fire in Ethiopia over the weekend, a state-affiliated broadcaster reported Monday.

The Kilinto prison on the outskirts of the capital, Addis Ababa, is where many opposition figures and journalists are held. Activists first raised concerns about the fire on Saturday, and some local media reported that gunfire was heard.

Fana Broadcasting Corporate cited a government statement as saying 21 inmates died from stampede and suffocation. The other two were killed while trying to escape.

The government originally said only one person died in the fire.

The latest government statement gives no details on how the fire began. It says an investigation has begun.

This East African country has seen months of sometimes deadly protests calling for wider freedoms, while the government has been accused by opposition activists and rights groups of killings, beatings and internet blockages.

The Oromia and Amhara regions have held protests in recent weeks that residents and rights groups say have left many dead. Regional concerns that sparked the demonstrations have broadened into anti-government protests.

Ethiopia's government, a close security ally of the West, is often accused of silencing dissent. Recent video obtained by The Associated Press showed Ethiopian security forces beating, kicking and dragging several protesters during a rare demonstration in the capital.

On Sunday, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said her country has raised "grave concerns" about what it calls excessive use of force against protesters in Ethiopia.

Ambassador Samantha Power called the recent violence in Ethiopia "extremely serious" and called for a transparent and independent investigation. She said the U.S. has asked the government to allow people to protest peacefully.</s>At least 23 inmates have died after a fire at an Ethiopian prison where anti-government protesters are reportedly being held, the government has said.

A government statement says 21 died of suffocation after a stampede while two others were killed as they tried to escape.

Some local media have disputed the account, citing unnamed witnesses who say prisoners were shot by the wardens.

There has been an unprecedented wave of protests in Ethiopia in recent months.

The identity of the prisoners has not been made public.

Sustained gunfire could be heard coming from Qilinto prison, on the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa, after the fire broke out on Saturday, local media reported.

TV footage and photos posted on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from the prison compound.

Reports that the fire was started deliberately as part of an attempted jailbreak have not been independently verified.

There have been numerous protests in the Oromia region by members of the country's largest ethnic group since November 2015.

any Oromo activists are being held at the Qilinto facility, according to pro-opposition media.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says that more than 400 people have been killed in clashes with the security forces in Oromia, although the government disputes this figure.</s>Families and relatives of prisoners are desperate for answers after Ethiopia’s high-security prison, Kilinto, located on the outskirts, south of the capital Addis Ababa, caught fire on Saturday.

The fire broke out at about 8.10am and lasted a “good two hours” before the fire brigade from the Addis Ababa Fire and Emergency Prevention and Rescue Agency arrived at the scene.

State media, quoting an exclusive statement sent to it from the Government Communications Affairs Office (GCAO), said that 23 inmates had died, among which 21 from a stampede, burns and suffocation, while two were shot dead as they were apparently trying to escape.

Though the cause of the blaze remains unknown, the government says it is still investigating. However, families are anxious to know the whereabouts of their loved ones.

“I do not know where my son is. Is he shot dead or burnt alive or even is he alive? I have no idea. I rampaged everywhere in the prison compound, shouting and asking for him. I searched for him in hospitals, but no one tells me anything, and I could not find my son,” bemoaned Muchit Teka, the mother of Yonatan Tesfaye, a young senior opposition Blue Party member and prominent rights activist.

Tesfaye, the spokesperson of the opposition Semayawi (Blue) party, was arrested in December 2015 and held in lengthy pretrial detention for comments he posted on Facebook. He was held without charge for months, and it was not until May 4 this year that he was charged with “incitement, planning, preparation, conspiracy and attempt” to commit a terrorist act.

The government says his posts against a government plan to extend the capital’s administrative authority to the Oromia region were in pursuit of the objectives of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which it considers a terrorist organisation.

“Even if they are dead they should let us know, as it is a customary and the right thing to do to rest the dead properly,” Teka cried.

“How can they be silent about this? Don’t they have families? What if they were in our shoes?”

Tesfaye’s mother was not the only one lamenting the silence of the government in the wake of the deadly blaze. The compound is being guarded by security forces but families are waiting on the streets around it for information, while others desperately search hospital records.

“We searched for them in hospitals and the prison but they are not there and no one would tell us. The government has the responsibility to inform where our families are,” said Bontu Bekele – Son of Bekele Gerba, a prominent politician and deputy chairperson of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC).

Local media reported that two buildings as well as recreational and other facilities that inmates used were damaged by the fire. According to reports, nine injured inmates and police members are receiving medical treatment.

The remainder of the prison population were transferred to various other correctional facilities as large parts of the Kilinto facility was damaged.

The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front is a multi-ethnic coalition made up of four parties. The opposition and political analysts, though, say it is dominated by the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front. This is the main cause for the unrest, which, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch group, has seen at least 500 people killed by security forces since the protests began in November.

Though demonstrations first started among Ethiopian Muslim communities in 2012 demanding equal rights of people, it later spread to Ethiopia’s biggest ethnic group, the Oromo, and then to the Amhara, the second most populous group.

The Ethiopian government, which is a close ally of many Western nations because of its strategic geographical location in the region, last month rejected a United Nations request that it send observers, saying it alone was responsible for the security of its citizens.

Various international organisations have released statements expressing their “grave concern” at the deteriorating situation in the country.

The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democracy Front, which is often accused by rights groups of regularly cracking down on the opposition and jailing journalists, won every seat in the 547- seat parliament in elections last year.</s>ADDIS ABABA, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Ethiopian opposition activists have demanded news on the fate of six of their leaders and other inmates held in a high-security prison that was wrecked by a massive fire over the weekend.

The government has said 21 inmates died in the blaze that ripped through the Qilinto complex on Saturday - but has not named any of the victims.

Another two prisoners were shot dead as they tried to escape the compound on the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa, the government added in a brief statement two days after the fire, again stopping short of identifying them.

The opposition Oromo Federalist Congress said on Tuesday it had received no news of six of its leaders, including Deputy Chairman Bekele Gerba and Assistant General Secretary Dejene Tafa, who were arrested in December on suspicion of inciting protests.

"Our entire leadership is being held in that place and we have no idea what has happened to them," the OFC's Assistant Deputy Chairman, Mulatu Gemechu, told Reuters.

"The government has a responsibility to explain to the public, no less their families. We have no idea why it is taking that long," he said.

The government did not immediately respond to his statement.

Dissidents say most recent inmates are ethnic Oromos held for taking part in demonstrations over land rights and alleged rights abuses that have rocked one of Africa's fastest growing economies since last year.

The United States last week said it was gravely concerned about the use of excessive force against protesters. Human Rights Watch said in June at least 400 demonstrators had been killed by security forces.

Ethiopia's government - a major ally of the United States in the fight against militants in neighbouring Somalia - disputes the death toll and says the protests are being staged illegally, stoked by rebel groups and dissidents based oveseas.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said last week his administration would carry out "deep-rooted" reforms and pledged to address grievances, though he warned of measures if protests escalated into violence. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
At least 23 inmates are killed in a fire and stampede at Kaliti Prison near Addis Ababa in Ethiopia during an attempted jailbreak.