ADDIS ABABA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia National Security Council, a governmental body tasked with making major national security decisions, on Monday warned it will take legal measures against subversive forces for destabilizing the country.
The council, which conducted a special session on Monday following recent clashes in Ethiopia's Amhara regional state, said in a press statement that the government is ready to take appropriate legal and security measures to maintain the rule of law against "threats imposed by destructive forces, who want to destabilize the country."
The council, however, didn't reveal the identities of "subversive forces" that are behind the recent deadly fighting in the Amhara region, nor did it disclose causalities of the violence.
The government "is ready to take necessary measures to safeguard the peace and security of its people," the statement said.
Federal and regional forces are tasked to restore peace and security in the affected areas "with appropriate legal and security measures," it said.
The council also urged the public to be vigilant against attempts that would jeopardize the peaceful coexistence of Ethiopia's ethnic groups, such as dissemination of hatred among communities.
There have been sporadic deadly clashes among ethnic groups despite government efforts to boost common understanding among its populace.
As Africa's second most populous nation with over 104 million residents, Ethiopia has more than 85 ethnic communities living side by side.
Amid a recent spike in ethnic violence, an inter-communal crisis in Ethiopia's Gedeo and West Guji zones in August last year displaced some 958,175 people, according to the International Organization for Migration.
