Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Ethiopia says Eritrea-trained gunmen killed tourists

(Jan 17 , ADDIS ABABA, By Aaron Maasho, (Reuters)--Gunmen have killed five foreign tourists in Ethiopia's remote northern Afar region, after crossing into the Horn of Africa country from neighbouring Eritrea which trained and armed the attackers, an Ethiopian official said on Tuesday.

A Western diplomat told Reuters German nationals were among those killed in the shooting which happened late on Monday. He did not confirm the total number of dead. Afar is known to be a haunt of Ethiopian rebels who regularly cross over the border with Eritrea, Ethiopia's bitter foe, Addis Ababa says. Eritrean rebels and bandits are also in the area at times.

"The group of foreign tourists was attacked by gunmen late on Monday, by members of a group that was trained and armed by the Eritrean government. It's the usual terrorist activity by the regime," Bereket Simon, Ethiopia's government spokesman, told Reuters.

There was no immediate comment from the Eritrean authorities. The Red Sea state often says Ethiopia "fabricates" lies to tarnish its image. Ethiopian state television said two other tourists had been seriously wounded in the attack, while another tourist had escaped unharmed.  Read more from Reuters »

Related topic:
Gunmen Kill Foreign Tourists In Ethiopia

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