ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - At least 40 people were killed by paramilitary forces in eastern Ethiopia over the weekend, in the latest spate of violence driven by ethnic divisions, a senior regional official said on Monday. Unrest between ethnic Somalis and Oromos first broke out along the border between the Somali and Oromia provinces in September 2017, killing dozens and displacing nearly a million people. On Monday, the Oromiya regional administration’s spokesman Negeri Lencho said “heavily-armed” members of a paramilitary force from the Somali region had carried out cross-border attacks in Oromiya’s East Hararghe district. For example, when the Somalis evicted the Oromos from the Somali region, it was because they felt the Oromos living there were "settlers" who are not entitled same rights they do. The central government said the unrest had been stoked by regional officials who had fallen out with central authorities trying to address rights abuses in the region. The spokesman said the officials had said the government was illegally forcing them to resign, and that Liyu forces had taken part in the attacks under their orders. Abdi Mohammed Omar was forced to resign and eventually detained, with the region's 32-year old finance and economic development head, Ahmed Abdi Ilkacase, taking his place as interim leader. Authorities in the Somali region were not immediately available for comment. As soon as he took office, Ahmed started working to speed up the normalisation process, even choosing Somali regional capital, Jigjiga, as the destination of his first domestic trip.
At least 40 people are killed by paramilitary forces in eastern Ethiopia, in the latest spate of violence driven by ethnic divisions.