Ethiopia arrests 90 officials for inciting clashes
( 2002-09-22 10:28 ) (7 )

Ethiopia has arrested 90 regional officials suspected of inciting ethnic violence that killed about 100 people in the south of the country in March, a pro-government information centre reported on Thursday.

The violence, some of the worst ethnic clashes in Ethiopia for years, pitted members of a political party based round the Sheka-Mezenger ethnic group against members of 18 other tribal communities.

The Walta Information Centre said those arrested were members of the Sheka-Mezenger Democratic Party, which administers the southern Sheka zone, who were accused of inciting ethnic hatred that led to the clashes.

"Those arrested have been accused by the people of the region of inciting hatred among 18 ethnic groups which had resulted in the death of some 100 persons," Walta said in a report.

Walta said a government find-finding mission sent to the Sheka Zone had ordered the arrests of the officials after holding discussions with people affected by the clashes.

The report did not say exactly what sparked the violence, except to say that the human rights of the 18 ethnic groups had been violated by the Sheka-Mezenger.

Walta said that a deputy police commissioner, district police officials and local administrators were among those arrested. It was unclear when the arrests were conducted.

The report said that about 5,800 people were made homeless during clashes after about 2,000 houses were torched.