Ethiopia security kills six rebels, capture 12

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

November 29 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – An Ethiopian police source on Friday told Sudan Tribune that security forces had killed six and captured 12 ‘‘ Eritrean trained’’ Ethiopian rebels.

The source said the rebels had crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan to carry out attacks in the country.

The source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the rebels were members of the
Gambella rebel group.

Six of the rebels were killed in a fire exchange with Ethiopian security forces around the Humera town in Northern Tigray region near the Sudanese border.

Police said the rebels were trained and armed by the Eritrean government and sent to Ethiopia on a terror mission with plans to carry out attacks at targeted infrastructure facilities in and around the capital Addis Ababa.

Police added it was interrogating the captured rebels before releasing more details on the rebels.

Since 2010, Ethiopia says it has arrested over 100 Eritrea-trained ‘‘terrorists,’’ most members of rebel groups which Eritrea harbours.

Eritrea is accused of being behind a number of foiled terrorist attacks in Ethiopia including plans to bomb an African Union (AU) summit held in Addis Ababa in 2011.

According to a report by the UN monitoring group on Somalia and Eritrea, the red sea nation planned to carryout a car bomb attack at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, when African leaders took breaks.

The UN report accused Eritrea of arming and financing Al-Qaida allied al Shabaab group in Somalia

Addis Ababa routinely accuses its bitter rival Asmara of sponsoring Ethiopian separatist groups such as Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) as part of what Ethiopia says is to destabilize nation.

Eritrean officials repeatedly dismiss Ethiopia’s allegations.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bloody war between 1998 and 2000 over border disputes which killed 70,000. Since then the two nations have remained at loggerheads.

(ST)