Mereja Forum

22 killed as Ethiopian forces fire on protesters

The government said security forces had acted to restore order as protests in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, entered a third day.

An Associated Press reporter saw 11 bodies in a room in the city's main hospital - at least four of them with gunshot wounds to the head - and was told they were only some of the casualties.

Doctors at two others hospitals reported that 11 more people had been killed, with hundreds of others - many of whom had suffered gunshot wounds - injured.

Yesterday, the foreign office said a British government minister had spoken to the Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi - who is a member of Tony Blair's commission for Africa - by telephone.


"We are very concerned at the outbreaks of violence, and have said to them that they need to exercise maximum restraint and respect for human rights," a foreign office spokesman said.

Protests over the election result erupted despite a ban on public demonstration imposed by Mr Meles in the aftermath of the disputed May 15 poll. According to official results, his ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front party won a majority of seats.

The minister of information, Bereket Simon - also the party's spokesman - said he did not have an accurate death toll from the shooting. However, he accused the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy of being behind the protests - a claim the CUD has denied.


"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," Mr Simon said. "So the government had to use the anti-riot police to resolve the situation."

He said seven buses had been destroyed, civilian cars attacked and businesses and banks damaged. Rejecting claims that the police had used excessive force, he said: "These people were committed to disrupting the smooth functioning of civil life and law and order, so we had to protect people."

Opposition parties say there was widespread fraud and intimidation in the election - charges denied by the ruling party.

An EU election observation mission in Ethiopia reported concerns over the vote count last month, after polling itself had appeared to run relatively smoothly. The foreign office said it was awaiting the outcome of an investigation by Ethiopia's national electoral board.


The CUD vice chairman, Berhanu Nega, said the party was not behind a strike by taxi drivers and shop owners in the city today. "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," he said.

"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."

State-run radio broadcast a warning in Amharic to Ethiopians not to stage any additional protests.

"With effect from today, especially after the issuance of this statement, the police and security forces will take stern action against those shouting in groups, trying to cause destruction of government and people's property and piling stones on the roads and trying to disrupt peaceful and legal movement of the people," the warning said.


Today's shooting began after the army's special forces troops arrived at the central business district of Addis Ababa, where protesters were throwing stones.

One of those injured in the shooting - who refused to give his name because of fear of retribution - said troops had fired on people who were fleeing. He said he had been caught up in the protest, and was not taking part in it.

Addis Ababa city police also shot at protesters, another person receiving hospital treatment told AP. "The police were running at the crowd, firing shots. I got shot in my leg," the 22-year-old labourer said. "I was just trying to get home to avoid the trouble."


Atenyesh Mamo, a 39-year-old mother of two, said she had been shot in the waist after opening the door to her home to take her seven-year-old son inside as the protests escalated. "I don't know why they shot me ... all I was doing was looking for my son," she said. "I am very angry, and I don't know why the soldiers want to shoot us."

Almost an hour after the shooting, ambulances and private vehicles continued to bring the injured to the city's Black Lion hospital.

Today's strikes, organised by people who distributed handwritten notes and sent out text messages, took place after two days of violent protests by university students in which one person was killed, dozens injured and hundreds arrested.

The elections had been seen as a test of Mr Meles's commitment to the reform of his sometimes authoritarian regime.

Before questions surfaced about the count, EU observers had called the campaign and voting "the most genuinely competitive elections the country has experienced", despite some human rights violations.

eden wrote: ↑

11 Oct 2019, 13:31

Winners:
-Ethiopia
-Africa
-EZEMA

Losers:
-ABN
-HGDEF
-OLF
-Ethio 360

eden wrote: ↑

12 Oct 2019, 15:55

The fanatics are doing today to PM Abiy what they did to Meles Zenawi during the days of CUD/ KNJIT led by the radical chairman, Hailu Shawel: Tarnishing their image in the eyes of the international community.

Meles was getting accolades internationally when the CUD leaders decided to tarnish his image by cornering him into taking measures that would take a toll on his image.

The same method is being used today against PM Abiy, the day after he secured the most prestigious prize. The fanatics are cornering him into taking extreme measures. Hopefully, he has a much experienced team that can minimize the use of force to an absolute minimum. He has the fortune to learn from Meles's overreaction and subsequent debacle that ended in one of the darkest days in Addis Abeba history.

Meles's image never recovered and the fanatics celebrated their mischief saying 'mano asnekanew'. PM Abiy is lucky to have this precedence to learn from and act firm yet without resorting to deadly force.

May GOD be with him, leading him the way to peace to Addis and Ethiopian.

22 killed as Ethiopian forces fire on protesters

The government said security forces had acted to restore order as protests in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, entered a third day.

An Associated Press reporter saw 11 bodies in a room in the city's main hospital - at least four of them with gunshot wounds to the head - and was told they were only some of the casualties.

Doctors at two others hospitals reported that 11 more people had been killed, with hundreds of others - many of whom had suffered gunshot wounds - injured.

Yesterday, the foreign office said a British government minister had spoken to the Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi - who is a member of Tony Blair's commission for Africa - by telephone.


"We are very concerned at the outbreaks of violence, and have said to them that they need to exercise maximum restraint and respect for human rights," a foreign office spokesman said.

Protests over the election result erupted despite a ban on public demonstration imposed by Mr Meles in the aftermath of the disputed May 15 poll. According to official results, his ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front party won a majority of seats.

The minister of information, Bereket Simon - also the party's spokesman - said he did not have an accurate death toll from the shooting. However, he accused the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy of being behind the protests - a claim the CUD has denied.


"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," Mr Simon said. "So the government had to use the anti-riot police to resolve the situation."

He said seven buses had been destroyed, civilian cars attacked and businesses and banks damaged. Rejecting claims that the police had used excessive force, he said: "These people were committed to disrupting the smooth functioning of civil life and law and order, so we had to protect people."

Opposition parties say there was widespread fraud and intimidation in the election - charges denied by the ruling party.

An EU election observation mission in Ethiopia reported concerns over the vote count last month, after polling itself had appeared to run relatively smoothly. The foreign office said it was awaiting the outcome of an investigation by Ethiopia's national electoral board.


The CUD vice chairman, Berhanu Nega, said the party was not behind a strike by taxi drivers and shop owners in the city today. "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," he said.

"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."

State-run radio broadcast a warning in Amharic to Ethiopians not to stage any additional protests.

"With effect from today, especially after the issuance of this statement, the police and security forces will take stern action against those shouting in groups, trying to cause destruction of government and people's property and piling stones on the roads and trying to disrupt peaceful and legal movement of the people," the warning said.


Today's shooting began after the army's special forces troops arrived at the central business district of Addis Ababa, where protesters were throwing stones.

One of those injured in the shooting - who refused to give his name because of fear of retribution - said troops had fired on people who were fleeing. He said he had been caught up in the protest, and was not taking part in it.

Addis Ababa city police also shot at protesters, another person receiving hospital treatment told AP. "The police were running at the crowd, firing shots. I got shot in my leg," the 22-year-old labourer said. "I was just trying to get home to avoid the trouble."


Atenyesh Mamo, a 39-year-old mother of two, said she had been shot in the waist after opening the door to her home to take her seven-year-old son inside as the protests escalated. "I don't know why they shot me ... all I was doing was looking for my son," she said. "I am very angry, and I don't know why the soldiers want to shoot us."

Almost an hour after the shooting, ambulances and private vehicles continued to bring the injured to the city's Black Lion hospital.

Today's strikes, organised by people who distributed handwritten notes and sent out text messages, took place after two days of violent protests by university students in which one person was killed, dozens injured and hundreds arrested.

The elections had been seen as a test of Mr Meles's commitment to the reform of his sometimes authoritarian regime.

Before questions surfaced about the count, EU observers had called the campaign and voting "the most genuinely competitive elections the country has experienced", despite some human rights violations.