Over 20 killed in anti-Muslim attack in Ethiopia: Islamic group

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More than 20 people have been killed in an attack on Muslims in the northern Ethiopian city of Gondar during the funeral of a Muslim elder, a local Islamic group said on Wednesday.

The Islamic Affairs Council of Amhara, the region where Gondar is located, described Tuesday’s attack at a cemetery as a “massacre” by heavily armed “extremist Christians.”

The attackers “fired a barrage of heavy machine guns and grenades…
leaving many dead while others who were injured have been taken to hospital,” the religious body said.

“More than 20 have died due to yesterday’s attack which also saw the looting of Muslim properties,” it added.

The mayor of Gondar, Zewdu Malede, told Ethiopian public broadcaster EBC that the “incident was carried out by a few extremist individuals.”

“There has been some destruction and loss of lives from all sides,” he said, without offering further details about the identity of the attackers or the victims.

“The situation was (brought) under control by 7:00 pm.”

The cemetery where the attack occurred neighbours a mosque and church and has been the subject of an ongoing dispute between Muslims and Orthodox Christians, who are the dominant group in Ethiopia.