Nine bombs explode in Ethiopia's capital
Nine bombs exploded across Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa today, killing three and injuring more than 42, in what police call a co-ordinated attempt to discredit the government.
No group immediately took responsibility for the blasts, which focused on government-owned companies and public transportation.
But the bombings could point to growing militant opposition to the government.
The attacks came days before the anniversary of last year’s general election on Monday.
International observers had called the balloting seriously flawed and opposition politicians have refused to take up their posts to protest what they called government rigging.
Police have blamed other small bombings in recent months on alleged militant elements of the opposition.
No groups had claimed responsibility for those bombings, which rarely caused injuries or significant damage.
All of the leaders of the main opposition parties are currently in prison and standing trial for treason and genocide.
“This is just a futile attempt to show the impression that there is no peace or tranquility in the city,” Federal police spokesman Commander Demsash Hailu said, while reading a government statement.
“However, it is evident that the people of Addis Ababa, as usual, are leading their lives and undertaking their daily issues as normal.”
Demsash said that a special investigative team would work day and night to track down those responsible. He declined to discuss suspects.
“This is just one of the situations that reveals the hopelessness of the terrorists who have been relentlessly working to disturb peace and order in the city,” he added.
Four bombs exploded in the morning, followed by a lull before another five exploded after midday.
The bombs struck across the city, but four exploded in Addis Ababa’s busy Mercato, the main shopping district.
The first blast occurred at 4.50am in one of Addis Ababa’s main plazas, damaging an Ethiopian Airlines office.
The next blast damaged the headquarters of the city’s electricity company, injuring seven. Then an explosion blew out the front of a city bus, injuring seven, witnesses said.
A bomb then detonated outside a café in the Mercato, killing two people and injuring seven, witnesses said. Bereket Betiwibid, 15, described seeing patrons knocked out of their chairs and two waitresses thrown across the veranda when the bomb exploded on the sidewalk outside.
Tiny holes dotted the walls where bomb fragments appeared to have hit and the floor was covered with pools of blood.
In the afternoon, a third man was killed when a bomb destroyed the rear of a small bus, an Associated Press reporter at the scene said. Demsash said 16 people were injured in that blast.
A second afternoon blast destroyed a minibus taxi in front of a secondary school, witnesses said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in that blast.
Two more bombs detonated near the bus station in the Mercato, one in a public toilet inside a hotel, injuring three, and the second outside of a barbershop, injuring two. A ninth bomb that later detonated under a bridge caused no injuries or significant damage.
The groups often blamed for such acts include the Oromo Liberation Front and the Ogaden National Liberation Front, two groups fighting for greater autonomy for their regions.
Both groups in the past, though, have quickly claimed responsibility for attacks outside of Addis Ababa. Agents from neighbouring Eritrea are also frequently blamed.
The free press group Reporters Without Borders issued a statement today calling the on the government to release political prisoners arrested following last year’s election, including 21 journalists charged with treason and genocide.
Most of the prisoners were arrested in November and December, when most of the country’s independent newspapers were shut down.
The group called on Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to release the prisoners on Monday under an amnesty program designed to ease political tensions in the country.
