The town’s police commander, Inspector Fadil Mohammed, also confirmed the incident. Jimma is one of the main towns in southwestern Ethiopia, a fertile region where the government in 2004 had planned to resettle hundreds of thousands of peasant farmers.

The state-affiliated Fana broadcasting corporate reported that the injured persons were receiving treatment at a specialized referral hospital. Among them were a 10-year-old boy and two women.

The attack comes on the second day of a five-day stay-at-home strike called by opposition activists. The attack is said to have occured in a busy part of the town.

The strike, which is largely being observed, is to demand the release of political prisoners detained during the state-of-emergency rule. Ethiopia was forced to impose the rule in the wake of spreading anti-government protests particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions.

People in the region have previously staged a shutdown to protest tax hikes by the government. Police confirmed that they are on a manhunt for the attacker.

Aside closed businesses, the BBC reports that road blocks have been mounted in parts of the region affecting public transport.

Source: Africanews