The Ethiopian government has arrested 107 people that are suspected of being actively involved in the recent conflict along the border of Somali and Oromia regional states in the country. According to a report given to the Ethiopian parliament, 98 of those arrested are from Oromia regional states while nine are from Somali regional state.
Heavy clashes along the 1500 km Oromia-Somali boundary in September spilled into ethnic violence that left hundreds of thousands displaced and an undisclosed number of people dead.
Further reports indicate that another major cause of conflict is the competition to control the illegal khat trade which is an important recreational substance used all across Ethiopia and the larger East African region.
Oromia regional state is the largest Khat producing area in Ethiopia while Somali regional state borders Somalia and Djibouti, which are the main foreign destinations for Ethiopia’s Khat exports.
