Chinese national killed in gunmen attack in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- One Chinese national has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Ethiopia's Oromia region, the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia confirmed on Tuesday.

The incident happened on Monday evening when nine Chinese nationals were attacked in the Gebre Guracha town in the northern part of the Oromia region, about 160 km from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. One of them was shot dead eventually, the embassy said in a statement.

Even though large-scale military conflicts have stopped in Ethiopia, ethnic and religious conflicts remain acute in some parts of the country. In the border areas between Oromia and other regions, in particular, armed attacks, kidnappings, robberies and other vicious cases have occurred frequently, causing a large number of casualties and posing high security risks.

The Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia called on Chinese citizens and institutions in the East African country to be vigilant, avoid negligence, build a strong security awareness, stay away from high-risk areas, and not travel to or pass through high-risk areas.