Ethiopia bomb blast injures 13 in Oromia region as shutdown continues

<p>A bomb explosion in the town of Jimma, located in Ethiopia’s Oromo region has injured about 13 people, local media portals have reported. </p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Aside closed businesses, the <span class="caps">BBC</span> reports that road blocks have been mounted in parts of the region affecting public transport.</p>