Opposition activist killed in western Ethiopian before upcoming elections

May 10, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) –Unknown armed men killed an Ethiopian opposition activist, days after the government accused an opposition party of killing a policeman in Ethiopia’s largest province of Oromya.

Ethiopia holds elections on May 23 and both the government and its main rival, the Forum for Democracy and Dialogue (Medrek), trade accusations of intimidations, including killings.

“Our activist Girma Kabe was killed from gunshot wounds on April 26 while placing campaign posters,” former Ethiopian president Negasso Gidada, now an official of Medrek, told the Agence France Presse on Monday.

The incident took place in the Werejarso locality of Oromya region, the same province where similar attacks have taken place during the past two months.

Local government spokesman Bereket Simon dismissed the opposition accusation “a lie” adding the victim was not member of the opposition forum.

“He was killed during a fight with an armed person. It wasn’t politically motivated, millions of Ethiopians have personal firearms,” Bereket said.

It is the third time in two months that Medrek has claimed that its members have been targeted in such attacks, with one incident taking place in the northern Tigray region.

On Sunday, authorities accused Medrek’s supporters of stabbing to death a police officer in Oromya, a week after the EPRDF said one of its candidates was killed by members of the same party as he left a political meeting.

Two people were also killed in the same region last week in another incident when a bomb was hurled by attackers during a meeting of a party from the ruling coalition.

(ST)