Ethiopia arrests 29 over bomb plots

Ethiopia arrests 29 over bomb plots

06 September, 2011 | Aaron Maasho (Reuters)
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ADDIS ABABA

(Reuters) - Ethiopia has

arrested 29 people,

including nine opposition

party members, for

plotting to carry

out

bomb attacks in the Horn

of Africa nation, a senior

security official said on Monday.

Demelash Woldemikael, deputy commissioner of federal police,
said the individuals had been rounded up since August 27 and all
had links with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), a secessionist
group Addis Ababa blacklisted as terrorists last year.

"They were all trained by the OLF and we've found plenty of
evidence proving that they plotted to bomb targets," Demelash told
Reuters.

Seven of the suspects are members of the opposition Oromo
People's Congress party, while two are from the Oromo Federalist
Democratic Movement, Demelash said.

He said the suspects had appeared in court and been remanded in
custody to enable police to carry out further investigations.

Opposition politicians and rights group Human Rights Watch have
accused Ethiopia of cracking down on opposition campaigners from
the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia's biggest with 27 million people
out of a population of 80 million.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is Washington's closest ally
in the Horn of Africa but has been criticised by rights groups for
crushing dissent. Meles says "terrorists" are using political party
membership to hide their activities.

The government said it had arrested 121 Oromos in March after
accusing them of being OLF members.

Two opposition leaders from the Oromo Federalist Democratic
Movement and the Oromo People's Congress were detained late
last month on suspicion of OLF links. The two men were included in
the nine party members mentioned by Demelash.
Ethiopia's main opposition coalition, Medrek, said the two had been
detained after meeting a delegation from international rights group
Amnesty International, which confirmed it had met the two leaders.

The government said last week claims there was a link between the
meeting and the arrests was "unfounded fabrication".

Demelash rejected the idea there were any political motives behind
the arrests of the 29 suspects.

"We have the evidence to prove against that. Their political activity
had nothing to do with their incarceration," he said.

"They were posing as peaceful activists but were in fact operating
with the OLF, which is responsible for past killings of innocent
civilians," Demelash said.

Oromia produces most of the coffee in Africa's biggest grower,
along with oil seeds, sesame and livestock, all of which are major
exports.

Courtesy

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