Ethiopia condemns Paris terror attacks

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

November 14, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) -Ethiopia on Saturday condemned a series of terrorist attacks carried out in the French capital, on Friday night.

At least 129 people were killed and more than 300 others wounded after terrorists carried out a coordinated attacks including several shootings, explosions and mass hostage taking in Paris.

On behalf of the government and People of Ethiopia, Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, on Saturday strongly condemned the terrorist attack and extended condolences to families of the victims

While deploring the attack and expressing condolences, Ethiopian foreign minister Tedros Adhanom, underscored a need for more global concerted effort for the fight against terrorism.

“Our sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims of the terror attack in Paris. Our solidarity with the people and government of France,” Adhanom said in a statement he wrote on his Face book page.

“The attack shows that no country is immune from terror attack. A comprehensive approach and effective coordination of our efforts to fight terrorism is more important than ever before,” he said.

French President Francois Hollande, called Friday night’s attack an “act of war” carried out by ISIS, and vowed that France would react with a “merciless” fight against terrorism.

In a statement released on social media ISIS has claimed responsibility for the multiple attacks and said the attack was in retaliation to French’s air strikes in Iraq and Syria.

The extremist group warned that Friday’s attack was ‘just the start of a storm’ and vowed to launch more attacks.

France joined the US, and carries out air attack on the positions of the terrorist in Syria since last September.

Early in January, extremists killed 18 people after attacking at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine which had been publishing controversial prophet Muhammad cartoons.

Friday’s attack is the worst attack on a European soil since a terrorist attacks carried out in the Spanish capital Madrid in 2004, when series of bombs that exploded within minutes of each other on four commuter trains claimed the lives of 190 people and wounded more than 1,800.

(ST)