-
<value></value>
Another pointless African war, Afghanistan needs more aid and more...
|
Ethiopian police in brief clash with protesters
01 Nov 2005 09:47:10 GMT
Source: Reuters
|
ADDIS ABABA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Ethiopian riot police fired into the air on Tuesday to disperse stone-throwing opposition supporters protesting in the capital Addis Ababa over a disputed May 15 election, witnesses said. Police armoured personnel carriers patrolled the central Mercato market area after the protest, in which demonstrators briefly set up makeshift roadblocks of burning tyres and smashed in the windscreens of several cars. The clashes broke out three days after Ethiopia's top opposition party called for fresh protests over election results it says were rigged, an appeal that drew a warning from the government it would not accept any threat to peace and security. The disturbances were the first in the capital since post-election clashes killed 36 people in June. There was no immediate word on casualties. The violence did not appear to be widespread. Hundreds of youths gathered in the Mercato market area were quickly dispersed by security forces armed with rifles, witnesses said. Political tensions in Africa's top coffee grower have intensified since the election handed Prime Minister Meles Zenawi a third five-year term in power. The main opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), had urged its members at the weekend to hold a stay-at-home strike beginning on Monday, attend peaceful demonstrations and stop listening to or watching state media. "The protesters were responding to a call by the CUD over election results," one witness said. But most of the city appeared unaffected by the disturbances or the strike call. Blue taxis cruised down city streets and shops and offices remained open.
|
|
|
Reset