Fifteen Ethiopian policemen arrested over violence in west

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 9, 2004 (The Reporter) — Fifteen policemen suspected of instigating the unrest in Gambela Regional State — in western Ethiopia — in December last year have been arrested. It has also been decided that the suspects should not be reinstated to their jobs after court proceedings.

According to information obtained from the regional state’s police commission, the policemen have appeared before court to answer charges of involvement in the violence.

It has also been decided that all policemen in the regional state should be given a renewal retraining course in line with the resolution passed by the regional state’s council.

Following the decision, 457 policemen have been retrained at the Kolfe Federal Police Training Camp. Information we obtained indicates that the remaining 330 policemen in the region will also receive a month-long retraining at Kolfe from 1 Hidar 1997 (10 November 2004). The renewal retraining is believed to bring about attitudinal change in the force.

Material from the BBC Monitoring Service — original text in Amharic