Communal clashes in Ethiopia leave 10 dead

Communal clashes in Benishangul Gumuz regional state in western Ethiopia has left 10 people dead, state media Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) said on Monday.

The report said Assosa, capital city of Benishangul Gumuz, and its surrounding localities were scenes of violent ethnic clashes during the weekend, which left 10 people dead and four others injured.

The region had witnessed a similar deadly unrest in May involving locals and other ethnic groups residing in the region, reportedly over access to land and state resources.

FBC said regional and federal security forces are working in coordination with local community leaders to pacify the situation to prevent a recurrence of the weekend violence.

Benishangul Gumuz, located in western Ethiopia along the Ethiopia-Sudan border, hosts Ethiopia's largest development project, the 6,450-megawatt Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is under construction on the Blue Nile River.