Several Somali people feared dead after fierce fighting between Somali and Afar militias in Asbuli townthe Sitti region of the Somali regional state in Ethiopia.
According to witnesses, armed militias and Afar Liyu Police attacked homes of Somali civilians in Asbuli towns, prompting Somali Liyu police intervene the situation.
The local media reported that the battle resulted in the death and injury of many Somali police officers and civilians.
The attack comes barely a day after Ethiopian federal forces killed two Somali people in the town of Ayshica in the Siti region of the Somali regional state. The police opened fire on people who were protesting various issues in the Siti region. Among the issues are displaced of Somali origin people from parts of the region.
Locals accused federal Police of forcing some locals to move from their homes.
Border demarcation issues between the Somali region and Afar, its western neighbour, have deep historical roots.
Sitti is a vital artery to export and import goods. The zone, formerly known as Shinile, is in the northwestern part of the Somali region.
It is bordered to the south by Dire Dawa and Oromia, to the west by the Afar, to the north by Djibouti, and the east by Somaliland.
