http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/01/eritrea-strongly-denies-ethiopia-tourists-attack/
Eritrea
strongly denies Ethiopia tourists attack
Posted by BERNARD MOMANYI and AFP on January 19, 2012
NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 19 – Eritrea denied on Thursday it was involved in
Wednesday’s armed attack on five European tourists who were killed at the
Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia.
“These are indelible facts,” Eritrea said in a statement from its Foreign
Ministry which blamed Ethiopia’s ruling Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front
(TPLF) for spreading propaganda.
The Europeans were trekking near the famed volcano when they were attacked
and killed. Two others were kidnapped in an attack said to be the worst on
tourists there in years.
The volcano where the attack occurred is one of Africa’s most spectacular
and lies in the Afar depression – reputedly one of the least hospitable
places on the planet – where local rebels have claimed attacks and
kidnappings in the past.
Ethiopia blamed Eritrea for the attack.
Eritrea said the accusations were part of a wider plot spanning more than
20 years of a smear campaign waged against it. In the third quarter of last
year, Kenya and Ethiopia blamed Eritrea of dropping planeloads of weapons
to the Al Shabaab in Somalia to enable them fight forces battling them.
“This is not surprising as the TPLF regime routinely seeks to blame Eritrea
for military acts of home-grown internal opposition movements spawned by
its misguided policies,” Eritrea said.
A UN report released earlier in the week however dismissed the claims,
saying there is no evidence to show Eritrea was supplying arms to the Al
Shabaab.
“The TPLF regime has further transformed Ethiopia into a platform of
regional destabilisation to serve the interests of external forces,” Asmara
adds in a statement that is largely critical of archenemy Ethiopia.
The incident is likely to deal another blow to regional tourism after
kidnappings in Kenyan resorts and attacks on yachts by Somali pirates.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s spokesman Peter Szijjarto disclosed
the nationalities of the tourists involved in Ethiopian attacks, citing
information he said was obtained from Interpol.
“Two Hungarians were killed in Ethiopia and another lightly wounded… In
total, five people were killed: two Germans, two Hungarians and an
Austrian,” he said.
“Two Italians were able to escape, two Belgians were lightly wounded. Two
Germans and two Ethiopians were abducted,” he added.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle confirmed the killings of two
nationals and added: “I sadly also have to inform you that the fate of
other Germans who were part of this group is not clear.”
German newspaper Bild cited security sources saying three nationals were
missing.
Belgium said one of its nationals was wounded, as was a British friend she
was travelling with.
Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said 22 tourists were on the trip to the remote
destination.
“There is concern that the people who have been kidnapped might have been
taken across the border into Eritrea,” it said in a statement.
Some of the tourists were flown back to the capital Addis Ababa on
Wednesday, including a man in a wheelchair. Some hid their faces with
scarves and rucksacks, an AFP correspondent said.
Several diplomats were at the airport to meet the tourists who were driven
away in waiting vehicles Wednesday.
The Afar region, an arid northern region with shallow salty lakes and
chains of volcanoes, is one of the hottest places on Earth. It is also
known for hominid fossil finds.
Erta Ale, or “Smoking Mountain”, is an active volcano which has a width of
some 50 kilometres (35 miles).
It sits in the Afar depression, also known as the Danakil depression, an
area which lies below sea level and features as the dramatic backdrop to
scenes in Hollywood’s 2010 epic fantasy Clash of the Titans.
Access to the region is limited and foreigners need official approval to
get there but it attracts a steady stream of volcano buffs and adventure
backpackers who often plan group trips on Internet forums to share the high
travel costs.
A French tourist disappeared in the region in 2004 leaving behind no trace
apart from a rucksack.
In 2007, five European nationals, including British embassy staff, were
captured by the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front rebels (ARDUF),
who freed them after 12 days.
In Nairobi, Ethiopia’s ambassador to Kenya, Shabsudin Ahmed Roble, said the
attack was a provocation by Eritrea.
“The latest move by Eritrea is an act of provocation and Ethiopia will not
allow Asmara to continue its terrorist attacks,” Shabsudin told AFP.
The two Horn of Africa neighbours fought a devastating 1998-2000 border war
which claimed at least 70,000 lives and their dispute remains unresolved.
Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia and won independence in 1993 after a
30-year struggle.
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Received on Thu Jan 19 2012 - 11:12:57 EST
