American Killed by Thrown Rock in Ethiopia

The agricultural expert was working in the area around Addis Ababa
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 5, 2016 3:44 PM CDT
American Killed by Thrown Rock in Ethiopia
Ethiopians chant slogans against the government during a march Sunday. A US citizen was killed in the area Tuesday, though it's unclear if her death was connected to ongoing protests.   (AP Photo)

An American agricultural expert working in Ethiopia was killed Tuesday when unknown individuals threw rocks at the van she was riding in, the AP reports. According to ABC News, the US State Department confirmed the unidentified woman's death Wednesday, offering its "sincerest condolences to her family and loved ones" but providing few details about her death. The woman had been doing field work in the Oromia region outside Addis Ababa Tuesday. A regional spokesperson tells the AP her group "didn't ask for police protection." The woman was the only person killed in the attack.

It's unclear if the woman's death is in any way connected, hundreds of people have been killed in violent protests in the area since November 2015, the BBC reports. Anti-government protesters are concerned about the planned expansion of Addis Ababa into Oromia farmland. More than 50 people were killed in a stampede when police stopped a protest Sunday. And many roads in the area were blocked following further protests on Tuesday. (More Ethiopia stories.)

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