Ethiopia Faces Social Media Blackout Following Continued Unrest

December 13, 2017 - Following  clashes between ethnic groups in some parts of Ethiopia,  Ethiopians are  facing social media blackout as Facebook and Twitter are down, reports fox news.

Oromia regional spokesman Addisu Arega said the violence in Chelenqo town killed six people and was being investigated. On Facebook he called the victims "innocent civilians."The Addis Standard news site reported 15 killed, including women and children. The Associated Press was not able to independently verify the reports.

Oromia regional officials have long accused special police from the neighboring Somali region of committing atrocities against ethnic Oromos. The regions also have had bitter border disputes.

The United States embassy, which pledged to help resolve the conflict and support 660,000 displaced ethnic Oromos, expressed concern about the situation.

"We are troubled and saddened by reports of violence that has resulted in deaths and injuries in the town of Chelenko and at several universities over the past two days," the US embassy in Ethiopia said in a statement.

"We encourage the people of Ethiopia to uphold their admirable and longstanding tradition of respect for their country's ethnic diversity and its tradition of peaceful co-existence," the embassy added. It did not give a death toll or provide further details.

Source: Fox news