At least 17 people have been killed in ethnic clash in Ethiopia’s Benishangul Gumuz regional state, located in the western part of the country, state media outlet Amhara Mass Media Agency (AMMA) reported on Monday.
According to AMMA, the ethnic violence involved members of the local Gumuz ethnic group and the Amhara ethnic group.
AMMA further reported 11 of the dead were ethnic Amharas while the rest 6 were ethnic Gumus, with both sides using blunt weapons and modern firearms during the clashes.
Regional and federal security units are currently been deployed in the affected areas to prevent a recurrence of the violence.
Benishangul Gumuz regional state, located in western Ethiopia along the border with Sudan, hosts Ethiopia’s largest development project, the 6450 MW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Hydro Dam, which is under construction on the Blue Nile River.
