Hassen Dula, 65, and his 25-year-old son Hussein were residents of Kebele 03 of Arba Minch. Although they heard gunshots in the town, which is one of the major towns of the Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples' Regional State, they were described as proceeding with their daily family lives as calmly as the situation allowed.

With them lived Elfnesh Tekle, a machine operator in the Arba Minch Textile Factory, her three daughters and a son. This single mother, whose husband died seven years ago, lived in a quarter rented by the Hassen's; both families living in the same compound.

Tayech Tadesse, Elfnesh's 19-year-old daughter and second year preparatory student at the Arba Minch Comprehensive Secondary School said that on Wednesday afternoon, November 2, 2005, Hassen, Hussein, her mother and she were in the compound when the violence erupted. Before the day was over Tayech would be the sole survivor. The deaths of the three people following gunshots were confirmed by sources Fortune talked with in Arba Minch as well as by the Arba Minch police.

It was not just the southern town which experienced turmoil last week that emulated the response in Addis Abeba. Bahir Dar, Dessie, Debre Markos and Awassa also had their own share of clashes with the security forces. In all places students had a role to play in instigating the clashes.

An anonymous source, who claimed to have witnessed the events in Arba Minch, said that the problem first occurred when security forces tried to remove a call for a strike posted on a notice board at the CUDP's office and dismantle a big poster with the sign of the "V" shape, the CUDP's trademark. After this attempt failed because of the intervention of local residents, the armed security personnel left and returned with more force. When people in the CUDP's office saw them coming, they blew a bugle, which was a pre-arranged signal to call the locals to help.

The CUDP office is located between the Arba Minch Comprehensive Secondary School and Kulfo Elementary School, whose students were the first to respond to the bugle. They left their classes for the CUDP's office to begin throwing stones at round 3:15pm, according to Dawit Oumer, member of the Arba Minch police. Local residents joined the action, and the clash continued for the next hour and a half, with some damages being inflicted to the office of Kebele 03.

Bahir Dar and Dessie waited until Friday to see some action. On Thursday night, according to sources, students of Bahir Dar University had heard some bouts of shouting which was interrupted by rain. The following morning they all had gone to class as though nothing had happened the pervious night. However, students of Fasilo High School and Tana Haik preparatory school, and another preparatory school in Kebele 14, started protesting with shouts at 9 o'clock in the morning.

As they began to throw stones at the police, the ensuing riot caught the attention of the university students who stopped classes to start their own protest. According to a university student, police raided the campus to quash the riot and beat students who were found outside of their dormitories. Those inside remained there for the rest of the day.

In Awassa an incident was short-lived. Letters calling for a strike were distributed on Wednesday and Thursday, which, according to information from the Awassa Police, helped the police contain the riots with relative ease, although gunshots were heard and people were seen running around, according to sources. Other sources said that there would have been no problem at all if the security forces had not tried to control the schools.

The Bahir Dar riot claimed four lives and wounded 11, according to police information broadcast on state media. However, sources who claimed to have witnessed the situation said that seven people had died that day. Two of the dead are said to be university students from Bahir Dar and Harar, and a third causality owned a pharmacy in the city.

No causalities were recorded in the Dessie riot, which started when, according to an eyewitness, students of Woizero Sehen Comprehensive Secondary School left their classrooms at 9 am to throw stones, leading to a two-hour clash with police. Although the eyewitness claimed that the police had kept the students inside the school compound the whole night, a source in the local police said that they were only detained for a little while. Sources said that the city looked deserted on Saturday, with no cars on its streets. Stores were closed, and many residents stayed inside their homes.

Two people are also said to have died in a clash between demonstrators and the police in Debre Markos in the Amhara Regional State on Friday morning. Businesses remained closed until Satuday evening, according to sources.

According to police sources, the Arba Minch causalities included six dead and 11 injured in the Wednesday riot, although hospital sources said that only three corpses were brought to Arba Minch Hospital, where six youths, between the ages of 18 to 20, are still undergoing treatment.

Elfnesh was buried on Thursday at St. Gabriel Church at one o'clock. The father and son were buried at one of the two mosques in the town. Tayech said that both their families were among the poorest in the area. Hussein used to do some farming. He now has left the care of their 55-year-old mother to his older brother, Mohammed, who is a daily labourer.

Tayech's mother, who was a machine operator at the Arba Minch textile factory, was the sole breadwinner supporting three daughters and a son after their father died seven years ago. Tayech said her sisters had been trying to make a living selling cheap food, but they were not successful. She said she is now considering leaving school to contribute to keep the family together.

Mohammed ruefully told Fortune that his father's and brother's death may have been caused by his membership in the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party.

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