Ethiopia: Probe of 2018 violence find mass graves

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - A probe of violence last August in eastern Ethiopia found 58 people were killed -- including 50 in mass graves -- and over 250 were injured in three days of violence, local media reported.

The gruesome findings about the violence in the Somali state -- the largest in Ethiopia, bordering the country of Somalia -- were announced Friday by the Federal Attorney General's office, local broadcaster FANA reported.

In the violence, priests and followers of Christian Orthodox churches in particular were burned alive inside churches, and several women were raped by a youth group called Hego and the regional state’s special police, a spokesman for the office told journalists.

More than 412 million birr ($14.4 million) worth of properties were destroyed or robbed from churches, public institutions, residences, and businesses during the violence, FANA reported.

The investigation team also discovered several crimes committed prior to the start of the violence, including a mass grave containing 200 victims, said the spokesman.

Some 46 people, including the former chief administrator of the regional state who is already in prison and standing trial, are suspected of committing the crimes.