Ethiopia: Probe of 2018 violence find mass graves

By Addis Getachew</p> <p>ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) – A probe of violence last August in eastern Ethiopia found 58 people were killed — including 50 in mass graves — and over 250 were injured in three days of violence, local media reported.</p> <p>The gruesome findings about the violence in the Somali state — the largest in Ethiopia, bordering the country of Somalia — were announced Friday by the Federal Attorney General's office, local broadcaster FANA reported.</p> <p>In the violence, priests and followers of Christian Orthodox churches in particular were burned alive inside churches, and several women were raped by a youth group called Hego and the regional state’s special police, a spokesman for the office told journalists. </p> <p>More than 412 million birr ($14.4 million) worth of properties were destroyed or robbed from churches, public institutions, residences, and businesses during the violence, FANA reported.</p> <p>The investigation team also discovered several crimes committed prior to the start of the violence, including a mass grave containing 200 victims, said the spokesman.</p> <p>Some 46 people, including the former chief administrator of the regional state who is already in prison and standing trial, are suspected of committing the crimes.