EUFF Rebels kill 17 prison guards, free five comrades from Markos Prison
Ethiomedia
December 26, 2012
DEBRE MARKOS, Northern Ethiopia - Rebels on December 22 killed 17 prison
guards, wounded at least 13 members of the security personnel and
freed five of their comrades who have been languishing behind bars for
several months, a source told Ethiomedia by phone on Tuesday.
The attack was carried out by combatants of the Ethiopian Unity and Freedom Force (EUFF).
The report couldn't be verified by an independent source. If proven
true, however, the latest attack constitutes the third major offensive
after operations on Adigrat Prison in November and Metema town in May in
which several business units belonging to ruling party officials were
razed to the ground (See detai
ls below).
Over 14 killed, dozens injured in bomb attack on Adigrat Prison.
ADIGRAT, Northern Ethiopia (Nov 2, 2012) – Over 14 inmates were killed
and dozens were injured when a building housing at least 1300 prisoners
was destroyed in a bomb attack in Adigrat town on Wednesday, a source
said.
Bulldozers were used to pull out bodies from the debris. Those
critically injured were admitted to the hospital in town. Fears have
mounted that the death toll may rise.
The government has remained quiet.
Meanwhile, rebels of the Ethiopian Unity and Freedom Force (EUFF) have
claimed responsibility for the attack. However, their claim couldn't be
verified by an independent source.
An EUFF spokesperson told Ethiomedia by phone that the action was taken
to free political prisoners that the government had kept behind bars
since the ill-fated 2005 elections in which the opposition Kinijit was
believed to have won.
Most inmates were Kinijit supporters arrested from Gonder, Gojjam, Addis
Ababa and other parts of the country during a brutal government
crackdowns in the aftermath of the 2005 elections, the source said.
"Demands that the government release the political prisoners had fallen
on deaf ears, thus prompting a public demand that the rebels take
action."
Over 40 prisoners have remained at large, according to the spokesperson.
A climate of fear and uncertainty has engulfed the once-bustling town
of Adigrat.
Unlike other rebel groups that claim support from Ethiopia's arch enemy
Eritrea, the fiercely-independent EUFF has been active in northern
Ethiopia in recent years.
Last April, the rebels set on fire a business district in Metema town on the border with Sudan. Over 60 business units that belonged to the ruling party officials were razed to the ground.
METEMA, Northwestern Ethiopia (May 1, 2012) - A business district in
this town on the border with neighboring Sudan was burned down on April
28, rebels said on Sunday.
Over 60 units in the business quarter of the town called Jinghera were
sent up in smoke as they were housing security agents of the ruling TPLF
regime, rebels of the Ethiopian Unity and Freedom Force (EUFF) told
Ethiomedia on Sunday.
Metema has been a transit point for those who import and export - legally or illegally - items into Sudan and Ethiopia.
Earlier in April, the rebels had set fire to Khartoum Hotel in Metema,
claiming it was owned by a ruling party official. In June 2011, EUFF had
decimated about a dozen stores owned by ruling party officials.
On April 9, EUFF forces opened fire on Sudanese Al-Qadarif governor,
Karam Allah Abbas, who had tried to stop an Ethiopian farmer from
working on a farm the Sudanese official thought was a Sudanese
territory.
Karam Allah Abbas protested to Ethiopian officials whom he was to meet across the border in the Amhara region.
The Meles regime, which is resented by the Ethiopian people for selling
off fertile lands to Sudan as well as many other governments and
multinational corporations, blamed EUFF rebels as Eritrean-backed shiftas.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg's William Davison, Ethiopia's
second-in-command Bereket Simon confirmed the news report that those who
had fired on the Sudanese governor were rebels assisted by neighboring
Eritrea.
Many believe EUFF is a politically conscious, self-reliant patriotic
group that operates 100% in Ethiopia, scoffing at those who seek shelter
in Eritrea.
EUFF rebels burn down Metema town's TPLF-owned business units
METEMA, Northwestern Ethiopia (May 1, 2012) - A business district in
this town on the border with neighboring Sudan was burned down on April
28, rebels said on Sunday.
Over 60 units in the business quarter of the town called Jinghera were
sent up in smoke as they were housing security agents of the ruling TPLF
regime, rebels of the Ethiopian Unity and Freedom Force (EUFF) told
Ethiomedia on Sunday.
Metema has been a transit point for those who import and export - legally or illegally - items into Sudan and Ethiopia.
Earlier in April, the rebels had set fire to Khartoum Hotel in Metema,
claiming it was owned by a ruling party official. In June 2011, EUFF had
decimated about a dozen stores owned by ruling party officials.
On April 9, EUFF forces opened fire on Sudanese Al-Qadarif governor,
Karam Allah Abbas, who had tried to stop an Ethiopian farmer from
working on a farm the Sudanese official thought was a Sudanese
territory.
Karam Allah Abbas protested to Ethiopian officials whom he was to meet across the border in the Amhara region.
The Meles regime, which is resented by the Ethiopian people for selling
off fertile lands to Sudan as well as many other governments and
multinational corporations, blamed EUFF rebels as Eritrean-backed shiftas.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg's William Davison, Ethiopia's
second-in-command Bereket Simon confirmed the news report that those who
had fired on the Sudanese governor were rebels assisted by neighboring
Eritrea.
Many believe EUFF is a politically conscious, self-reliant patriotic
group that operates 100% in Ethiopia, scoffing at those who seek shelter
in Eritrea.
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Copyright 2012 Ethiomedia.com. Email: editor@ethiomedia.com
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