Ethiopian military has opened an investigation after nine civilians were killed and 12 others injured during an operation against rebels in Moyale border town with Kenya, state media reported on Sunday.
Several soldiers have been suspended over the incident, the military said.
The Ethiopian News Agency said that the soldiers were deployed to the town in the Oromia region to pursue Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) fighters who had crossed into Ethiopia from three locations.
OLF is a secessionist group which the government has branded a terrorist organisation.
Ethiopia has been experiencing anti-government protests since 2016, mostly in the Oromia and Amhara region, where residents say they are being marginalised.
Ethiopia’s parliament voted in February to impose a six-month nationwide state of emergency.
The ruling The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front is currency enegaging in talks to choose a leader to replace Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who resigned last month.
Mr Hailemariam said he resigned to allow reforms that “would lead to sustainable peace and democracy”.
