A drivers' association told the BBC that 40 cross-border truck drivers were killed and more than 200 were injured, including in the first six months of the year.

According to the Ethiopian Cross-Border Drivers Association, attacks on trucks and their drivers have been increasing in conflict-affected regions of the country.

This figure of deaths and injuries to drivers only reflects the information the association has received and has been able to verify.

The association's chairman, Yohannes Tamrat, noted that in the past, there have been cases of drivers being kidnapped and extorted, but recently, peaceful drivers have been killed "while they are sitting in their cars."

"As a result, there has been an increase in drivers who hate the profession and are quitting their jobs," he said.

Ato Yohannes noted that the attacks are mostly carried out in the Oromia and Amhara regions, where government forces are battling armed groups.

He also said that a driver was killed in a recent incident in Addis Zemen, a town in the Amhara region, when gunfire was opened on vehicles escorted by government security forces.