ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday urged citizens to abide by the rule of law so as to avoid recurrent violence in the country.

Ethiopia is currently facing the negative impacts of misunderstanding between freedom and disorder, eventually affecting the country's peace and security efforts, Ahmed told a party meeting.

As the country strives to ensure the rights and freedom of its citizens, some are creating chaos by abusing the opportunities provided for them, he said.

Ahmed called on the security forces to work together with the public to ensure that the rule of law is well preserved.

Ethiopia is reeling from a week of vigilante violence in various parts of the country, with photos of lynching, beatings and burning of religious institutions shocking many in the east African country of around 100 million people.

The violence, mostly based on ethnic and religious lines, has put into question the stability of Ethiopia, which already hosts around 2.8 million internally displaced persons, according to figures from the United Nations.