ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia announced on Tuesday it has arrested 276 individuals for their suspected roles in deadly violence in Dire Dawa city, located in eastern Ethiopia.
In a press statement, Dire Dawa city police commission, said the 276 individuals were arrested over suspicion of involvement in deadly violence that rocked the city for several days of last week.
The police commission further said steps are being undertaken to return calm in the city.
An eyewitness who spoke to Xinhua said the underlying reason for the last week violence in Dire Dawa city was "unfair" administrative power distribution arrangements among different ethnic groups in the city.
The deadly violence left at least two people dead, scores of others wounded.
Ethiopia follows an ethnic model, which has been credited with giving self-governance rights to more than 80 ethnic groups that make up the country's estimated 100 million people.
However, critics claim that the model magnifies ethnic diversity at the expense of national unity, leading to occasional ethnic tension and clashes.
