Woyanne gunmen on a killing spree in Kenya

Nov 04, 2007

Gunmen from the ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (Woyanne) murdered three former Addis Ababa University students in Nairobi, Kenya, and wounded two on Friday. The wounded are currently receiving treatment at the Kenyatta Hospital. Reportedly, the gunmen dragged the five students outside of their room and shot them execution style. The 3 died at the scene.

Saturday, the squad of Woyanne gunmen went to the temporary residence of 4 exiled Ethiopian journalists at dawn (around 5 AM local time), dragged them out of their rooms and were about to take them away when the hotel employees saw what was happening and started to yell for help. The loud scream by the hotel staff attracted the attention of other residents who also joined in the scream. As people gathered, the four journalists continued to resist being taken away while being savagely kicked and beaten by the gunmen. Finally, the six gunmen (3 Woyannes and 3 Kenyans wearing military uniform) left the journalists who were lying on the ground and took off.

Ethiopian Review spoke on the phone with one of the journalists who was beaten by the gunmen. He is a member of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association. He and his fellow exiled journalists are currently in hiding. Shocked by the murders and kidnappings, Ethiopians in Nairobi are organizing a protest rally in front of the UNHCR on Monday to appeal for international intervention.

Voice of America has interviewed the journalists today and is expected to air the interviews Monday.

The exiled journalists and students are appealing to Ethiopians in the U.S. to contact the Kenyan embassy in Washington DC and New York and demand that the government of Kenya provide security and stop Woyanne agents from terrorizing and murdering the refugees.

In a recent edition of the Woyanne newspaper, Abiyotawi Democracy, there was an editorial that calls for measures against journalists who are harming the Woyanne regime’s image. After shutting down all the media inside the country, the attack on the exiled Ethiopian journalists and students in Kenya looks like the type of measure the newspaper advocated.

Ethiopian Review