Suldaanka Posted June 8, 2005 Government blames CUD (Amhara Political Party) for being behind the current unrest in the capital. --- Ethiopians shot dead in protests At least 22 Ethiopians have been shot dead as police clashed with protesters accusing the ruling party of fraud in last month's elections. Correspondents say the Black Lion hospital in the capital, Addis Ababa is full of those injured in the clashes, while crowds of relatives weep outside. Hundreds of students have been arrested this week for defying a protest ban. Final results have not been announced three weeks after the polls, as reports of massive fraud are investigated. Opposition blamed The police fired live rounds to disperse stone-throwing protesters in the Mercato and Piazza markets in the city centre. Reporters said they had seen 11 bodies in the Black Lion hospital, four of which had bullet wounds in the head. Doctors at two other hospitals reported a further 11 deaths. The government said it regretted the loss of life, which it blamed on looters, incited by the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy. "CUD, which is the perpetrator of the violence, will have to take responsibility," Information Minister Bereket Simon told the Reuters news agency. The CUD has denied being behind this week's student protests. Mr Bereket said that seven buses had been destroyed and businesses and banks damaged by looters. He denied the police had used excessive force to restore order. Leaflets Doctors said they were treating at least 100 people, many of whom had been shot. Some of those who agreed to speak to journalists denied taking part in the demonstrations. "I was looking for my son, I opened the door and I was shot," Ateneyesh Mamo, a mother of two who was shot in the pelvis, told the AFP news agency The police were running at the crowd, firing shots," said Getu, a 22-year-old labourer. Earlier, taxi drivers had gone on strike, joining protests started by students on Monday. The BBC's Mohammed Adow in Addis Ababa says thousands of leaflets had been distributed, calling for the strike. On Tuesday, students threw stones at the police who responded by storming a technical college and arresting about 100 people. The students were beaten with batons and rifle butts by police, who also fired shots in the air, witnesses said. On Monday, about 500 people were arrested and a girl died in clashes which began when students defied the 30-day ban on protests which was announced after the poll. Human rights The British Foreign Office has warned citizens travelling in Ethiopia to be cautious and says that tension is spreading to other towns and cities. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is a member of the UK-led Commission for Africa, which promises to improve governance and respect for human rights in Africa, in return for more western aid, debt relief and better terms of trade. According to provisional election results, the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and its allies have won 320 seats so far, giving it a majority in the 547-member parliament. The opposition have, however, won almost 200 seats - a huge gain from the 12 they had in the previous parliament. EU observers have voiced concern over irregular vote counting and biased reports by the state-owned media. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suldaanka Posted June 8, 2005 More Pictures of the unrest Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VisiT Posted June 8, 2005 24 Dead in Political Violence in Ethiopia June 8, 2005 10:02 a.m. EST Niladri Sekhar Nath - All Headline News Foreign Correspondant ADDIS, Ethiopia (AHN) – At least 24 people were killed when security forces opened fire on violent protestors on Wednesday in Ethiopia. The demonstrators were protesting against election results. The Associated Press reports 11 bodies were found at the capital's main hospital, while another 13 bodies were received by two other hospitals. Hundreds of injured were also being treated in those hospitals. Information Minister Bereket Simon, the ruling party spokesman, tells AP he did not have an exact death toll. He held opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy responsible for the protests. According to AP, Bereket says, "Today, some of their followers - and some who wanted to use this opportunity for looting - have gathered in some parts of Addis and disrupted the smooth functioning of life. So, the government had to use the anti-riot police to resolve the situation." Seven buses were destroyed and businesses and banks were damaged. Bereket also says, “These people were committed to disrupting the smooth functioning of civil life and law and order, so we had to protect people." On the other hand, a Coalition for Unity and Democracy leader said the party was not behind the protest. Vice Chairman Berhanu Nega says, "Our sense is that the government is deliberately targeting us and fomenting violence to stop the electoral process and then blaming it on the opposition. We have been saying all along that the public must be calm and patient and wait for the outcome of the investigations into the election." http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/2236478670 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suldaanka Posted June 8, 2005 Meles is facing a strong opposition from the Amhara ethnic group. The Amharas think Ethiopia is them, and Amhara is Ethiopia and they can't accept for a man from the minority Tigre ethnic group to rule the majority. The CUD wants to reverse the ethnic federation that Meles stablished when his TPLF took power. The CUD also wants to annex the port city of Asab from Eritrea and is the main power behind the continueing hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The CUD wants to revive a centralised authority where the Amhara ethnicity takes a lions share. The Oromo ethnicity also is vying for power and respect and want to play a major role in the politics of Ethiopia. Addis Abeba which is majority Amhara speaking is currently under CUD after they won all seats in a clean sweep. Meles is said to have deployed around 20,000 of his Tigre ethnic melitia in the streets of Addis Abeba and this created many problems including language barriers since the Tigre speak different language. It is the most terrible thing because the military forces do not speak the same language as us. They speak the Tigrigna language as they are from Mekle - the ruling party's area in the north. As you can't communicate with them, simply ordinary people like me are also victims. If I tried to explain that I had nothing to do with all of this they wouldn't be able to understand. No-one around here can tell them anything. And so that is why all the people run away as soon as they see them coming. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4074080.stm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
