Two dead in fresh Ethiopia unrest - residents

Two dead in fresh Ethiopia unrest - residents
Sat Nov 5, 2005 2:33 PM GMT

Ethiopian unrest begins to settle

By Tsegaye Tadesse and David Mageria
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Two people were reported killed in northern Ethiopia on Saturday after a fifth day of political unrest that has shaken confidence in the vast African nation's stability.
Residents in northern Amhara region said two students were killed in a clash between police and demonstrators in Debre Markos, 305 km (190 miles) north of the capital Addis Ababa.
Information Minister Berhan Hailu told Reuters: "So far it is not confirmed. We are not aware of any unrest anywhere else."
The worst unrest in months has fuelled fears of a possible relapse into authoritarian rule in the Horn of Africa's main power, prompting Washington, the European Union and the African Union to urge government and opposition to show restraint.
Addis Ababa was quiet but tense. Some residents ventured out for the first time since street battles erupted this week between police and opposition protesters, in which at least 42 people were killed.
Girma Teshome, a 30-year-old engineer stocking up on food at an Addis Ababa market, said he feared violence might flare anew.
"It is quiet now but it may start again after some time," he told Reuters. "It could be quiet for a month then erupt again."
On Friday, protests began to the north, east and south of the capital, with four people killed and 11 injured in the northern town of Bahir Dar, bringing the total of deaths to 46.
State television said the riots in the regions had been incited by opposition leaders but had been ended by the police without casualties or damage to property. There was no independent confirmation of the report.
The latest violence began in the capital, a stronghold of opposition groups who accuse Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of rigging his way back to power in polls in May.
Most shops in Addis Ababa remained shut on Saturday, but a few residents were out, suggesting a slow return of confidence.
"The government is preaching democracy but it doesn't know anything about democracy," said 24-year-old banker Senaye Lema.
"They lost power through elections but they are hanging on through the gun...They only know how to rule through gunfire. They are preaching false democracy."
The disturbances have coincided with fresh tension with neighbouring Eritrea, Ethiopia's foe in a 1998-2000 border war.
U.N. peacekeepers have warned that military moves by both countries had produced a crisis requiring urgent attention.
The United States, which sees sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous country as an ally against terrorism, has urged Ethiopians to turn away from violence and, in a thinly-veiled jab at the opposition, has criticised those inciting violence.
INTOLERANCE
Most analysts blame the bloodshed on habits of political intolerance acquired over generations of dictatorship, saying the violence resulted from a mixture of heavy-handed policing and inflammatory opposition rhetoric.
Ethiopia is struggling to shake off the effects of centuries of feudalism followed by nearly two decades of Marxism under dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, ousted in 1991 by guerrilla leader Meles Zenawi, now prime minister.
Residents and human rights groups say the crackdown has led to scores of arrests, including leading opposition figures.
Some people on the streets declined to talk to reporters, saying their feared retribution from the security services.
Others blamed the opposition for stirring up trouble.
"I hate these people. They cannot accept they were defeated," said Samuel, a taxi driver, referring to the main opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD).
"I do not support the government, but I do not like violence. Why do they have to damage my car? We need peace."© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.