ADDIS ABABA - Security forces in Ethiopia's
eastern Somali region on Monday shot dead four people who were
protesting against the looting of their shops and homes during
unrest at the weekend, a witness said.
Violence broke out in the provincial capital Jijiga on
Saturday, with mobs looting properties owned by ethnic
minorities, in unrest that the government said had been stoked
by regional officials at odds with central authorities.
The attacks has forced thousands to seek refuge in an
Ethiopian Orthodox church since Friday, residents told Reuters.
On Monday, some of them staged a protest.
"They blocked a road surrounding the church to demonstrate,
before security forces arrived and began firing
indiscriminately," one resident of the town told Reuters.
The witness, who declined to be named, said he saw four
bodies on the ground after the crowd was dispersed, and that
gunfire rang out throughout the day.
At least two Ethiopian Orthodox churches were also burned
down over the weekend, other residents told Reuters.
Government spokesman Ahmed Shide said regional officials
were stoking violence at a time when attempts were being made to
address rights abuses in the region.
He said the officials claimed the government was illegally
forcing them to resign, and that a regional paramilitary force
had taken part in the attacks under their orders.
"Infrastructure was destroyed and civilians were subjected
to killings and lootings. Religious centres were also attacked
and banks looted," he said at a news conference.
"These acts were carried out by gangs of youths that were
organised by some members of the region's leadership."
Witnesses told Reuters that soldiers were deployed as early
as Friday evening. But Ahmed said orders were given only on
Monday and that they would soon "start operations" to restore
calm.
The Somali region has seen sporadic violence for three
decades. The government has fought the rebel Ogaden National
Liberation Front (ONLF) since 1984 after the group launched a
bid for secession of the province, also known as Ogaden.
Since 2017, clashes along its border with Oromiya province
have displaced tens of thousands of people.
In July, the region's officials were accused by the
government in Addis Ababa of perpetrating rights abuses. Last
month, authorities fired senior prison officials there over
allegations of torture.
The unrest in the province marks a first test for new prime
minister Abiy Ahmed, who has pledged transparency and a
crackdown on abuses by security services.