At least 1500 Prisoners have been released from jails in the in the Somali Region of Ethiopia administrative capital Jigjiga, local authorities said.
Among the released are political prisoners and members of the ethnic Somali separatist group ONLF.
This month talks between the group and Ethiopia government were initiated by Kenyan officials.
A second round of talks is to be held at an undisclosed date.
Ethiopia has in the last one month released more than 2000 mainly political prisoners following almost two years of sustained protests demanding for reforms
