Ethiopian PM denounces ‘horrific’ ethnic killings

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called the “horrific” killings of scores of ethnic minorities in attacks in the country’s west “unacceptable” saying restoring peace and security is his government’s priority.

There is no official figure fort eh death toll in Saturday’s attacks but some reports suggest it could be more than 100.

The prime minister is often criticized for failing to deal with the worsening insecurity across Ethiopia.

There’s been an unprecedented surge in communal violence and ethnic conflicts since he came to power four years ago.

Now Abiy said his administration has “zero tolerance” for the killings of civilians. The most recent incident was in western Oromia, the country’s largest region.

Witnesses said people were buried in mass graves and houses were set on fire when members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) launched attacks on villages inhabited by minority ethnic Amharas.

The group denies carrying out attacks and blames the government instead.

Fighting between the government and the OLA has been reported in western Oromia prompting concerns that civilians could be caught in the crossfire.