At Least 10 Dead in Ethiopia Protests over Autonomy

Ethiopian military ride on their pick-up truck as they patrol the streets following protests in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia July 2, 2020. (Reuters)
Ethiopian military ride on their pick-up truck as they patrol the streets following protests in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia July 2, 2020. (Reuters)
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At Least 10 Dead in Ethiopia Protests over Autonomy

Ethiopian military ride on their pick-up truck as they patrol the streets following protests in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia July 2, 2020. (Reuters)
Ethiopian military ride on their pick-up truck as they patrol the streets following protests in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia July 2, 2020. (Reuters)

At least 10 people died in clashes between protesters and security forces in Ethiopia's southern region on Monday, health officials said, the latest violence as myriad ethnic groups clamor for more autonomy.

The protests were sparked by Sunday's arrest of local officials and activists seeking a new autonomous region for their Wolaita ethnic group, said Matheos Balcha, spokesman of the opposition party Wolaita National Movement Party. One of their party members was arrested, he said.

Security forces shot dead at least six people in Boditi on Monday, a town 295 km (180 miles) southwest of the capital Addis Ababa, said Temesgen Hilina, a senior official at Boditi health center.

"They were shot in the head, abdomen, and their chest," he said. "I was the one who gave them the first treatment and later they died."

A 14-year-old boy was among the dead, he said, and 34 people injured.

In Sodo town, 315 km southwest of Addis, a health officer from Wolaita Sodo University teaching hospital said he saw four dead gunshot victims and heard of eight others from colleagues. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

The regional government spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment.

Like many ethnic groups, the Wolaita - currently part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Regional state - want their own state, which would give them greater powers over security and taxation.

Ethiopia currently has 10 states and around 80 ethnic groups. Its federal system allows any ethnic group to demand a referendum on establishing their own autonomous region - but the previous administration never permitted such votes.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2018, oversaw democratic reforms that included holding one such referendum last year. But Abiy has struggled to reign in the forces he unleashed as regional strongmen build their bases with appeals to ethnic nationalism.



Russia Warns US Against 'Military Intervention' in Iran-Israel War

FILE PHOTO: Iranian flags fly as fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot rise, following Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian flags fly as fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot rise, following Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
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Russia Warns US Against 'Military Intervention' in Iran-Israel War

FILE PHOTO: Iranian flags fly as fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot rise, following Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian flags fly as fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot rise, following Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo

Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday warned the United States not to take military action against Iran, amid speculation over whether Washington will enter the war alongside Israel.

"We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation, which would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences," the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Iran has not asked its ally Russia for military help amid its escalating air war with Israel.

"Our Iranian friends have not asked us about this," Putin said in response to a question from an AFP reporter at a televized press conference in Saint Petersburg.