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. "Security forces in Wolaita Zone appear to have used excessive force in confronting protesters, killing at least six people on August 10, 2020," the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a government body, said in a statement Tuesday. 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