ADDIS ABABA: At least six people have been killed in southern Ethiopia this week in unrest related to a bid to establish a new federal region, officials and a rights body said Tuesday. Protests kicked off Sunday in Wolaita after police began detaining senior politicians from the Wolaita ethnic group who have been campaigning to create their own region, a move permitted under Ethiopia's constitution. Aaron Maasho, a spokesman for the EHRC, called on security forces to "exercise maximum restraint" and said the fatalities should be investigated. **- Request to hold referendum -**Wolaita is situated around 300 kilometres southwest of the capital Addis Ababa. Alemayehu Bawdi, a regional security official, told state media on Tuesday that they were "doing illegal activities in coordination with various forces".

Source: Ethiopian News August 11, 2020 15:00 UTC