Addis Ababa, Feb 23 (AFP) A "bomb attack" on a rally in support of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed injured nearly 30 people Sunday, a police official said, in the latest sign of instability ahead of elections in August.

The incident occurred in the town of Ambo, located roughly 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of the capital, Addis Ababa.

"The bomb attack on a rally for Dr Abiy has injured 29 people, of whom 28 have been treated and sent home," Arasa Merdasa, the top police official in Ethiopia's Oromia region, where Ambo is located, told the state-run Ethiopian News Agency.

"Police have arrested six people who are suspected in the attack," Arasa said.

Ethiopia's electoral board has scheduled landmark national polls for August 29.

Opposition parties and civil society organisations have questioned whether the elections will be peaceful and credible, citing persistent ethnic violence since Abiy was appointed in 2018 following several years of anti-government protests.

The formal campaign period begins in May.

Abiy did not attend Sunday's rally, which was organised by officials in Ambo. (AFP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)