Ethiopia violence fueled by fighters trained in Sudan, says PM Abiy

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Monday that fighters involved in recent attacks on civilians in the west of the country were receiving training and shelter in neighboring Sudan and that Khartoum’s assistance was needed to stabilize the area.

Abiy’s government had previously said little about what was driving the violence in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, which opposition politicians have described as ethnically motivated.

At least 12 people were killed in an attack in the region’s Metekel zone last week, while at least 15 died in a similar attack in late September.

“In Blue Nile state, hundreds of people are receiving training and are being armed with modern weapons,” Abiy told lawmakers Monday, referring to the restive state in Sudan.

“While successive measures have calmed the situation, (the assailants) cross to Blue Nile state, and when it’s peaceful and people are complacent they come back.”

Restoring peace “not only requires much effort from us, but also from the government on the other side of the border,” Abiy said.

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