"We can say hundreds from the Oromo ethnicity were killed…and there were also deaths on the Somali side, we don't know exactly how many," government spokesman Negeri Lencho told reporters at a press conference on Monday, AFP reports.
This month's clashes are part of a longstanding conflict over disputed arable lands claimed by both nationalities, which has intensified following the killing of two local administrators in Oromia region earlier this month. The murders provoked violent protests among ethnic Oromos. Last week, Oromia head Lemma Megersa estimated that 50,000 people had been displaced by the clashes.
Ethiopia is divided into 11 ethno-linguistically based regional states and separate chartered cities. The Oromo, who make up a 35% plurality of the country's population, and the ethnic Somalis have a long history of clashes about rights to arable land.
In 2004, a referendum was carried out to settle the issue, but disputes have persisted, with each side accusing the other of the use of local armed groups. Recently, Oromos accused the Somali region's Liyu special police force of being involved in some of the incidents. The heads of each region signed an agreement meant to settle the unrest earlier this year. Mediation efforts are underway.
Ethiopia's Somali region has borne the brunt of a massive drought this year, which has resulted in nearly 8 million people requiring emergency food aid.
