 |
| A TV station based outside Ethiopia broadcast footage of the fire, Photo Credit ESAT
An unknown number of inmates have died after a fire
at an Ethiopian prison where prominent anti-government protesters are
reportedly being held.
|
Sustained
gunfire could be heard coming from Qilinto prison, on the outskirts of the
capital Addis Ababa, after the fire broke out, local media reported.
The
government confirms "some" deaths, while local media report that at
least 20 people had died in the incident.
There
has been an unprecedented wave of protests in Ethiopia in recent months.
Photos
posted on social media on Saturday showed plumes of smoke rising from the
prison compound.
Reports
that the fire was started deliberately as part of an attempted jailbreak have
not been independently verified.
There
have been numerous protests in the Oromia region by members of the country's
largest ethnic group since November 2015.
Many
Oromo activists are being held at the Qilinto facility, according to
pro-opposition media.
New
York-based Human Rights Watch says that more than 400 people have been killed
in clashes with the security forces in Oromia, although the government disputes
this figure.
Ethiopian
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has blamed "anti-peace forces"
for the violence.
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