At least two killed and several people injured in bomb attack in Moyale town, after a renewed bout of clashes broke out between the Oromo and Somali ethnic groups.
According to residents quoted by the BBC Amharic, squabble broke out around the town’s main bus station, and an unidentified assailant threw a hand grenade into the crowd.
The Moyale woreda health station head Huruka Godana said that four persons have died and 63 wounded.
Months of tensions erupted between long-time rival groups the Gabra Somali and Borana Oromo in the frontier district of Moyale. Following the execution of nine civilians and the wounding of fifteen by Ethiopian military troops on 10 March 2018, over 8,000 Ethiopians fled to Kenyan Moyale town in search for safety. Kenyan schools have closed to host the refugees, including many injured.
The Moyale town communication office blamed a paramilitary force, Liyu from the Somali region as cause of the violence. There has not yet been reaction from the Somali region.
Clashes between the two regions have displaced nearly a million people, since September 2017. Officials in Oromia have repeatedly blamed raids by the paramilitary force as causes of the violence. The Somali region denies those claims and says its residents have been unjustly targeted in attacks.
After his swearing-in as the Prime Minister replacing Hailemariam Dessalegn, Abiy Ahmed made his first visit to Jijiga, the capital of the Somali region, ten days ago in a bid to tackle the problems.