June 6, 2006
A year ago today
A year ago today, it started with the students at Addis Ababa University. I missed the morning protests at the main campus. I also missed the mass arrests.
By the time I got there at midday, the students had gone and all the streets from Arat Kilo to Sedist Kilo were blocked off by beige-uniformed police officers. Our press passes eventually got us up to the main Sedist Kilo gates. Looking inside we got our first look at the blue urban-camouflaged federal police in their full riot gear, wearing their strange Samurai-style white helmets that came down at the back to cover their shoulders.
Hundreds of students had been loaded into trucks and driven out of the city to various camps and holding areas.
As I wrote at the time:
Troops were photographed using batons and the butts of their rifles to beat students in the streets and inside the campuses. Armed soldiers sealed off the whole area around the main university buildings up to near the turning to the Sheraton Hotel this morning.A local journalist on the scene told me that a paper arranging the protest had been circulated among students last night. Somehow the police also got a copy and moved in early to prevent the demonstration spreading.
I heard later that students from another collage sited on one of the roads out of Addis had tried to block the road. The federal police were called in, shots were fired and the crowds dispersed.
Two foreign journalists, a writer and a photographer, were arrested during the protests. Their equipment was confiscated and they were held in a police station for more than five hours. The university was closed and remained closed for months to come, disrupting the education of thousands of students.
As I said, I can't give any eye-witness account. So here is what some unnamed students told the BBC World Service earlier this week:
STUDENT: They were just sitting on the fence at the main gate. They were just shouting expressing themselves they weren't violent. They were peaceful. But finally the police force barged into the compound and they start to arrest students. By that time there was some kind of conflict between the students and the police force.CORRESPONDENT: And what do you think about the political situation now?
STUDENT: Me and my friends even though we don't like the situation we have shut our mouths about it.
CORRESPONDENT: Why's that then?
STUDENT: If something happens on this campus we know we will lose some months that will affect our graduation and our future so we are going to add some semester or a year and nobody wants that. We want to graduate on time.
Posted by aheavens at June 6, 2006 4:03 AM
Comments
May they R.I.P
Posted by: Klebesa Wodesa at June 8, 2006 4:05 PM
Andrew
No new news to talk about?
Why do I get the feeling that journalists like you miss red meat in a form of riot, killing and bloodshed?
Come on man - give peace a chance. Poor mothers and fathers want to go about their daily miserable lives. Their destitute lives won't be any different even if Christ himself comes to rule Ethiopia, let alone Hailu Shawel.
Posted by: danny at June 8, 2006 6:01 PM
danny,
When Christ comes to rule, you and your kinds are the ones who are going to be destitute in return. The people of Ethiopia have voted against your masters hoping to get out of their day to day misery. And Ethiopia shall rise, because the God (Jesus Christ) you are making fun of delivers.
"God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the SON OF MAN, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" --Numbers 23:19, KJV
God keeps His promises! Ethiopia shall rise. Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.--Psalm 68:31 The day Ethiopians live in harmony and peace is coming. Amen!
Posted by: Nebelbal at June 9, 2006 3:21 PM