Just In: Many killed, homes burnt in Ethiopia – witnesses

Many people have reportedly been killed in western Ethiopia following an outbreak of ethnic violence.

Eyewitnesses in Gimbi district in the Oromia region say the rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) attacked remote villages where ethnic Amharas live.

They say homes were set ablaze during the violence on Saturday.

The regional government also blames the OLA.

But a spokesman for the group issued a denial and said a militia set up by the authorities in charge of the Oromia region was behind the killings.

Mass burials have been taking place.

Although the scale of the violence is not yet clear, some people in the area say many dozens of civilians were killed.

Ethiopia has seen an unprecedented rise in ethnic violence in the past three years with thousands killed and millions uprooted from their lives.

Source: BBC