Ethiopia says three rebels die in accidental blast
Sept 16, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Three rebels were killed and one seriously wounded when a grenade they planned to use in an attack in the Ethiopian capital exploded prematurely, officials said Saturday.
Police initially reported late Friday that all four men, allegedly members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) using explosives provided by Ethiopia’s arch-foe Eritrea, had died but revised the toll downward.
“A grenade that exploded while the terrorists prepared themselves to commit their terrorist act early yesterday claimed the lives of two of the terrorists,” the state-run Ethiopian News Agency said.
It added that one of two OLF members seriously wounded in the blast died en route to hospital.
State television reported on Friday that authorities had found evidence showing the attackers had been “armed and trained by the Eritrean government.”
Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a two-year border war between 1998 and 2000 and the peace deal that ended the conflict has yet to be fully implemented with the Ethiopian government refusing to accept a new boundary demarcation.
Addis Ababa regularly accuses Asmara of fomenting unrest in Ethiopia by backing groups like the OLF it blames for a series of mystery blasts that have rocked the country since January, killing at least 12 people.
The OLF, which seeks independence for Ethiopia’s southern Oromo region, was part of Ethiopia’s 1991-95 transitional government after the fall of the Marxist regime of Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, but quit the coalition.
Political tension has been high in Ethiopia since disputed elections last year led to opposition protests that twice turned violent, killing at least 84 people, many of whom were shot by police.
Friday’s blast coincided with an announcement by two senior Ethiopian military officers — General Hailu Gonfa and Colonel Gemechu Ayana — that they had defected to the OLF, citing government repression.
“It is time for us to take side in the fight between tyranny and liberty,” said in a statement. “We have therefore joined the Oromo Liberation Front … to realize the age-old dream of all peoples for freedom and democracy.”
Government officials could not be reached for comment about the defections, which were confirmed by the opposition Alliance for Freedom and Democracy coalition of which the OLF is a member.
(ST/AFP)