Ethiopia says 1,200-plus killed in unrest over past year

Fighting broke out between Somalis and Oromos in Moyale, a town bordering Kenya, and killed at least 21 people and wounded 61, on December 14, 2018. The escalating violence has sent hundreds fleeing across the border to neighbouring Kenya.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The office of Ethiopia’s attorney general says more than 1,200 people have been killed and more than 1.2 million displaced in clashes in the country over the past year.

The clashes, mostly along ethnic lines, have continued to strain the reforms announced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed after he took office in April 2018.

Fikadu Tsega with the attorney general’s office told The Associated Press on Wednesday that they believe the actual numbers could be higher as “these are the ones that we only were able to document.”

He says the office has pressed charges against more than 1,300 people, with some 645 now in police custody.

Several parts of Ethiopia have experienced deadly unrest fueled by ethnic tensions and disputes over resources.

The country faces elections next year.