Monday May 15,  2006

Wave of terror reaches capital

Nine bombs leave trail of dead and wound-

By Eskinder Michael

A string of bombings in Addis Ababa has led to the deaths of at least three people, while 42 were wounded. A statement from the police said that the bombings were a coordinated attempt to disrupt the lives of innocent civilians.

According to investigations conducted by Capital, all in all nine bomb blasts took place in the city: two bombings in Piazza, one in front of the Black Lion School, one at the junction Ethio-China friendship road and Gotera (the area commonly known as confusion square), four in Merkato and another in the area usually known as Total on Jimma road.

Following an investigation at the Black Lion Hospital, it was learnt that the wounded were brought in throughout the day along with the corpses of the dead.

“We have some 30 people wounded here and at least three dead. They brought in one body whose limbs were blown off. We have a person who has no family, no identification, is badly hurt, but cannot even speak,” said one nurse who was in a state of shock after helping treat patients for at least four hours non-stop.

Trainee nurses from the Betel Nursing School had to be pulled in from other wards to help save the lives of the injured. People – bloody and suffering from severe injuries – were seen lying on hospital beds and receiving treatment from doctors.

Another employee at the Black Lion Hospital said that a bomb had exploded in a public bus but fortunately there were no passengers. The driver and the cashier have both suffered injuries, and the cashier was having trouble hearing. “We don’t know who the bombers are, we just know that innocent people shouldn’t be targeted in such horrific ways,” one nurse said.

The attacks, which targeted government buildings and public transportation, caused damage, ranging from the small to the severe, to offices, buses, minibus taxi and other forms of transportation.

A Toyota Coaster that was hit by a bomb explosion at Confusion Square near Gotera was completely destroyed and police were seen carrying dead bodies in black plastic bags. Witnesses in the area said that the explosion had taken place at about 1:00 in the afternoon.

Another explosion that took place in front of the Black Lion School, propelling the minibus taxi it was in from the middle of the road to the sidewalks, completely destroying it. Though the number of deaths was not revealed, people are confirmed to have been killed. Witnesses in the area said that the explosion took place at about 3:00 in the afternoon.

The first of the explosions on Friday May 12 was in Piazza, a ‘bomb’ hidden in a telecommunications line box in front of the De Gaulle Square. The box, located just a couple of meters from an Ethiopian Airlines ticket office, was propelled at least 25 meters from its original spot and the ticket office suffered massive damage to its property.

Police rounded up the prostitutes who usually work around the area at night for questioning.

Though police failed to give any further information, it is believed among the public that the explosions were the work of an organized group.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had in a previous interview blamed the bombings on the Eritrean government. Though similar waves of explosions have happened in the city in the past few months, Friday’s bombings are the worst so far, accounting for a larger death toll and resulting in many serious injuries.

The most severe attack of the day, however, took place in Merkato, the biggest open market in Africa, as four individual blasts rocked different parts of the market, reportedly killing many.

It was learned that a bomb also exploded near a café in Mercato killing two and injuring eight. Two of the injured in the bombings in the café were reportedly waitresses. Another blast in the Merkato area injured several people who were taken to the hospital.

The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is known to have been involved in similar bombings some years back.