Clash among Axum university students leaves one dead

ADDIS ABABA: June 5 (Ethiopian Informer) – Violence that erupted among Axum University students has left one student dead, Tigray regional state authorities said on Wednesday.

Tigray Regional State Communications Bureau, in a press statement issued on Wednesday, said that the riot started late Tuesday among Aksum University students, eventually leaving on student dead while dozens of others sustained serious physical injuries.

The regional government, which expressed its “deep sorrow” over the incident and its impact on human lives, also vowed “to bring perpetrators to justice.”

“Tigray regional state condemns the shameful criminal act committed in Aksum University, and will do its utmost to bring to justice individuals who committed the murder” said the statement.   

The bureau, however, stressed that the causes of the deadly violence as well as the exact details of the student’s death is yet been revealed.

Unconfirmed social media reports on Tuesday indicated that the deadly violence started shortly after angry protests were held by ethnic Tigrayan students condemning the death of a Tigrayan student in Debre Markos University in Amhara regional state.

Universities across Ethiopia in recent years have been hotbeds of unrest and violence as students often quarreled on issues related to political and ethnic differences.