Gonder under military siege

Ethiopia’s ruling junta (Woyanne) has turned the city of Gonder is into a militarized zone by deploying tens of thousands of additional troops. Woyanne suspects that fighters of armed resistance groups have entered the city to carry out attacks on regime forces during this month’s general elections that will be held on May 23.

According to eyewitnesses, movements in and out of the city has been restricted and soldiers are conducting house to house searches. Check points have also been set up through out the city.

Meanwhile, in southern Ethiopia, Woyanne claims that a police officer was stabbed to death by members of the Forum for Democracy and Dialogue (Medrek) party in the Oromya region on Saturday.

“Supporters of Medrek stabbed to death policeman Hassan Regasa last night in the Oromya region,” according to a police statement.

On Thursday, in the town of Adaba, Orimya region, attackers threw a bomb at a meeting of a party from the ruling coalition, killing two people, according to the state media.