ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed broke a week of silence to announce on Saturday that violence in Ethiopia's Somali regional state last weekend is now under control.
Speaking to media outlets, Ahmed said the region is returning to normalcy with the help of the federal government and regional administration officials.
He further said discussion is currently underway between his government and officials of the regional state to prevent a recurrence of the violence that left yet an undisclosed number of people dead and scores others injured.
Several cities in the regional state became scenes of deadly violence last weekend after soldiers were dispatched on August 4 to Jijiga city, capital of the Somali regional state reportedly to arrest regional high-level officials, including Abdi Omar Mohammed, president of the regional state.
The army intervention came amid reports of tension between the federal government and the regional state president over allegations of grave human rights abuses in Mohammed's administration.
A high-level delegation from the regional state headed by Mohammed is believed to be in Addis Ababa currently holding talks with the federal government officials on ways to resolve the crisis.
