243
 |
| This file photo taken on November 10, 2020, shows a general view of the city of Gondar, Ethiopia. More than 20 people have been killed in an attack against Muslims in the northern Ethiopian city of Gondar during the funeral of a Muslim elder, a local Islamic group said on April 27, 2022. EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP |
Several hundred people have been arrested following a deadly attack on Muslims in the northern Ethiopian city of Gondar, a regional official said on Friday.
More than 20 people were killed on Tuesday when heavily-armed โextremist Christiansโ attacked mourners at the funeral of a Muslim elder and destroyed property belonging to Muslim residents, according to a local Islamic group.
Desalegn Tassew, head of the Amhara regionโs peace and security bureau, said 373 suspects had been arrested โin relation to the disturbance that happened in Gondarโ, according to a statement cited by the official Amhara Media Corporation.
He also announced a ban on firearms and other weapons until all suspects were arrested.
โWe are making legally accountable members of the security forces and leaders who did not assume their responsibility,โ he added, without elaborating.
The cemetery where the attack occurred neighbours a mosque and church and has been the subject of an ongoing dispute between Muslims and Orthodox Christians, who are the dominant group in Ethiopia.
Amharaโs regional government said the violence erupted as people clashed over using stones from the area for burial purposes, fighting over whether the materials were being taken from the cemetery or church compound.
In Ethiopiaโs capital Addis Ababa on Friday, Muslims staged a demonstration over the Gondar violence as they gathered for a mass iftar, the traditional sunset meal breaking the fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
โJustice for Amhara victims in Gondar,โ they chanted. โWe need fair justice.โ
