Armed men attack leaves 16 dead in Ethiopia

An attack launched by gunmen in Ethiopia’s Afar regional state left 16 people dead including women and children.

Officials from Ethiopia National Defense Forces (ENDF) who spoke on behalf of the country's government on Monday October 14, said the gunmen armed with heavy weapons attacked Afambo locality in Afar regional state over the weekend. 

Identity of the armed attackers or the motive of the attack was not revealed by the Ethiopian officials but it was gathered that several others are being treated for injuries sustained in the attack. 

Colonel Tesfaye Ayalew, Head of the Office of Deputy Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Defense however denied reports of armed men who crossed from Djibouti.

“The news circulated over the social media that said to be Djiboutian armed forces have crossed Ethiopian border and inflicted detrimental acts on citizens through Afar is a sham,” he told the Ethiopian News Agency.