Following the administrative questions raised by members of the Yerer clan in the Ethiopian Somali region, at least 16 students attending different schools have been arrested.

ESAT previously had reported that the local special police force known as Leyu Force had killed at least 50 people from the clan and 19 other community elders that travelled to Addis Abeba to ask the Prime Minister to take measures on the perpetrators have also been detained since.

People have said that they are unable to visit the prisoners as they are being switched from one prison to another. Most of them are aged between 60 to 85 years.

Some members of the clan have reported to the Ethiopian Human Rights Congress and also to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission which is funded by the government. The later had reportedly sent a team to the area to investigate the incident.

The Congress is also said to start investigating the claimed murders and issue a statement.

In recent days alone, at least 35 teachers and members of the clan have been detained by the local police.