Press Release
Eleven Civilians Wounded in Bombing of Adi Kaieh

The extent of Ethiopian air raids yesterday is now fully known. While
the bombings in Forto and Mendefera resulted in no casualties, eleven
civilians were seriously wounded and a church destroyed in Adi Kaieh.
The bombings injured the following group of ten school children walking
home for lunch in Adi Kaieh as well as an elderly man standing nearby:

Luchea Hadgu, 14 years old, critically wounded
Hagos Yemesghen, 53 years old, critically wounded
Segazab Oqbahzghi, 14 years old, critically wounded
Haile Abraha, 15 years old
Zebib Hagos, 12 years old
Zelalem Hagos, 14 years old
Kidane Abraha, 16 years old
Sewit Teshome, 16 years old
Ephraim Tsegay, 14 years old
Meles Tesfai, 4 years old
Fortuna Berih, 4 years old

TPLF claims that its forces had hit "carefully selected and strategic
military targets" are simply false. As corroborated by international
media who went to the scene of the bombings, a church and the group of
school children were the so-called "carefully selected and strategic
military targets."

Yesterday's unprovoked bombings come in a week when the TPLF regime is
coming under heavy international pressure to implement a cease-fire and
the OAU Framework Agreement. The air raids also reflect the desperation
of a regime that suffered huge losses in Badme last February and a
devastating defeat in Tsorona subsequently in mid-March.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 16 April 1999