Ethiopian opposition renews non-violence vow

ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (AFP) — Ethiopia’s main opposition group on Sunday renewed its pledge to abide by a shaky truce with the government to stop post-election violence in a bid to ease a police crackdown on its members.

The Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) said it was firmly committed to the pledge it made on Friday despite complaints it made at the time and the ongoing roundup of its supporters.

“In signing the declaration, the CUD nowhere put any reservations or conditions or equivocation to its adherence to the spirit and letter of the declaration,” it said.

“The CUD regrets any misinterpretation of its presentation at the signing ceremony and retracts any elements of its statement that may have given this impression,” it said in a statement.

“The CUD re-affirms that it will do everything in its powers to support the non-violent transition of society in Ethiopia to a society based upon respect for individual human rights and democratic values,” it added.

The pact was brokered by alarmed foreign donors after violence on Wednesday in which at least 29 people were killed when police opened fire on crowds during protests over alleged fraud in last month’s disputed elections.

But immediately after the deal was sealed, a CUD official said it was “naive” and “absurd” to expect the government to keep its side of the bargain when mass arrests and harassment of its supporters continued.

The government responded by accusing the CUD of violating the agreement “even before the ink has dried” and on Saturday the opposition group reported that its chairman and spokesman had been put under virtual house arrest and that more than 3,600 of its supporters had been detained.

On Sunday, attempts to reach CUD chairman Hailu Shawel’s by telephone were unsuccessful with callers to his cellular phone hearing a recorded message saying that “the incoming call of this subscriber is prohibited.”

In its statement, the CUD proposed that the signatories of the deal — itself, the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and another opposition group — meet to discuss the resolution of fraud complaints from the May 15 polls.

There was no immediate response to the statement from the government which has accused the CUD of inciting illegal protests and violence in the wake of the election.

Provisional results from the vote released by the national election board show the opposition making significant gains but give the EPRDF, which has ruled the country for 14 years, an overall majority in parliament.

The CUD maintains the government stole the election through massive ballot rigging.

The election board has delayed certification of final results until July 8 due to the volume of complaints it has received.