At least 183 people have been killed since July in clashes in the Ethiopian state of Amhara, which has been plagued by violence for several weeks, the United Nations announced on Tuesday. "At least 183 people have been killed in clashes since July, according to information gathered by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights", the OHCHR spokeswoman continued. Amhara, Ethiopia's second most populous state, has been the scene of armed violence since April, triggered by the federal government's desire to disband the Amhara "special forces". "We are very concerned about the deterioration of the human rights situation in certain regions of Ethiopia", said Marta Hurtado, stressing that the state of emergency gives the authorities wide powers. Tensions in Amhara have increased since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that he wanted to dismantle the "special forces", paramilitary units created by a number of regional states.

Source: Ethiopian News August 29, 2023 14:09 UTC