ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said on Monday that confusion between freedom and anarchy creates mass destruction and human displacement.
Teshome made the comments amid increasing ethnic-based clashes that are challenging the east African country's recent positive developments.
Last week, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 70,000 people have fled their homes due to communal violence in western Ethiopia's Benishangul Gumuz regional state.
Attacks late September also drove more than 15,000 people to flee and seek refuge in schools and other public facilities across Addis Ababa.
"For centuries, Ethiopians have lived in peace and harmony even under difficult times," Teshome said, adding that "in recent years there has been confusion between freedom and anarchy."
According to Teshome, this confusion has created "destruction of property, mass displacement of people and lawlessness."
Teshome urged Ethiopians to refrain from destructive acts.
"It is clear that the fate of a country without laws is social crisis, internecine and even fragmentation," he told a joint session of the two houses of the Ethiopian parliament.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on Ethiopians from all walks of life to maintain the long-standing peace and togetherness and avoid misunderstandings that lead to conflicts.
Ethiopia's ruling coalition, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, during a congress meeting that concluded on Saturday, vowed to sustain ongoing socioeconomic and political reforms and effectively respond to conflicts and violence.
