A
suspected air strike in Ethiopia's Amhara region has killed at least 26 people,
a hospital official told BBC.
According
to the report, the strike in Finote Selam on Sunday was among the most deadly
in the region, where the army has been fighting Fano, a paramilitary force.
Ethiopia's
human rights commission has expressed "grave concern" over the
"deadly hostilities".
PMAbiy Ahmed's government imposed a six-month state of emergency across Amhara on
4 August.
The
fighting has been fuelled by Fano accusations that the federal government is
trying to weaken Amhara's defences.
It
is Ethiopia's worst crisis since a civil war in the northern Tigray region
ended in November. Fano backed federal forces during the Tigray war.
Fano
has refused to disarm, prompting the federal government to deploy the army.
The
hospital official told the AFP news agency that all the victims who arrived on
Sunday were "wearing either casual civilian clothing or Sunday traditional
clothes".
"The
casualties range from a 13-year-old child to the elderly," he said.
"I didn't get the chance to see what caused the explosion... but residents
said it was a drone strike".
A
university professor who was visiting a relative in the hospital told Reuters
that while he was there, he saw 14 bodies and was informed by a medical
professional that another 12 people had passed away.
According
to a hospital spokesman, 55 additional people are receiving medical attention
for explosion-related injuries.
"Conflicting
parties to immediately end" all alleged violations of human rights laws,
the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) demanded.
As
a result of the violence, severe measures have been taken, like the evacuation
of Jewish residents and Israeli citizens from the area last week. Jewish
residents number in the thousands in Amhara.
The
EHRC said has documented the killing of protesters, the looting of weapons and
ammunition from police stations and prisons, and the targeting of Amhara
regional administration officials.
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