Ethiopia: Security

Addis Ababa (AFP) - Ethiopian police arrested 25 people accused of plotting attacks in the country and suspected of having links to Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels, officials said Thursday.

Government spokesman Shimeles Kemal told AFP that those detained had been trained by the militants in Somalia and were planning a series of attacks in Jimma, about 305 kilometres (189 miles) southwest of the Ethiopian capital and where the arrests were made.

"About 25 people have been apprehended on suspicion of organising an underground terrorist cell," he said, adding that "a number of weapons" were also seized and the suspects likely to be charged.

Ethiopia, which shares a 1,600 kilometre border with Somalia, sent troops into the country in 2011 to help African Union and Somali defence forces fight the Shebab. It currently has around 4,500 troops in the country and has spearheaded a recent offensive against the Islamists.

Neighbouring Kenya has been a frequent target of attacks by Shebab rebels, who have demanded that Kenyan troops leave Somalia and claimed responsibility for last year's attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi that left at least 67 dead.

Uganda and Djibouti, both contributors to the AU force in Somalia, have also been attacked by the Shebab.

The US and British embassies have upgraded their travel warnings for Ethiopia in recent weeks, alerting visitors and residents to an increased threat of attacks.

Shimeles said while Ethiopia "has been and will remain vulnerable to terrorist attacks," the threat has not necessarily increased.

"I don't think that there is a special risk that warrants an extraordinary alert," he said.

Shebab leaders have vowed to attack Ethiopia to avenge the presence of its troops in Somalia, and last October two Somali nationals blew themselves up while crafting a bomb in Addis Ababa, which police said they planned to detonate at a crowded football match.

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Addis Ababa (HAN) July 20, 2014 – Diplomacy and security news. The Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros met with Ambassador Imran Yawar of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Ethiopia. The diplomatic Discussions centered on ways to scale up the economic partnership of the two countries, expedite high-level contacts and exchanges and inject new impetus to fast-track all–rounded cooperation.
The Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros noted that the two countries had historic ties and said these could be considered as a bridge to deepen economic cooperation that would benefit their peoples in the years ahead. He emphasized that Ethiopia welcomed investors from Pakistan for the realization of common development, and said Ethiopia attached special importance to uplift Ethio-Pakistan links to a new high. He urged the need to lay a foundation for the close cooperation and partnership of the two countries’ business communities to set-up a platform that would elevate economic growth and development into new heights. He said Ethiopia was committed to prevent impediments related to trade, investment and business climate and wanted to foster enabling conditions for business persons and investors.
Ambassador Yawar said his country was intending to establish an Ethio-Pakistani Business Council to accelerate and enhance the closer engagement between the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Ambassador Yawar noted Ethiopia’s remarkable double digit economic growth over the last decade and said Pakistani investors would benefit from this growth and would be able to contribute to the positive momentum of Ethiopia’s economic development. He said Pakistan’s private sectors were interested in participating in Ethiopia’s investment in various sectors including infrastructure, construction and manufacturing as well as other priority areas.
Ambassador Yawar pledged that Pakistan was willing to share experiences in major areas of common development, and also stressed the need to strengthen high-level contacts and exchanges to expedite the political and diplomatic relations. Yawar requested the Government of Ethiopia to open an Ethiopian Embassy in Islamabad to further cement bilateral relations. He also said Pakistan was interested to draw lessons from Ethiopia’s experiences in combating terrorism.
The Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros assured the Pakistani Ambassador that Ethiopia is ready to hold high-level exchanges with Pakistan, jointly combat terrorism and share experiences as well as deepen the economic cooperation for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two nations.

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[email protected] said:

i think the Pakistan gov. is just really..modest !

at least they know how to seduce and start partnership with another country, even though they have few ties, and located far away.

it is just a different approach. Asian people are often more willing to talk with poorest nations and do business with them. in their culture they don't talk down nor impose rules to foreign nations. we call this "Soft power", opposite to the western's style.

because we have been accustomed to live in the West where arrogance, superiority and diktat rules are common values....look at the US and EU foreign policies.

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Tiqur_Anbessa said:

Maybe they want to spy... Isn't Pakistan one of the countries that is said to support certain terrorist groups?

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Addis Ababa (AFP) - Somali Islamist insurgents are plotting to attack an upmarket area of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, the US embassy has warned, in a notice to citizens to avoid crowded areas.

The exact target is not known but the embassy said the "potential imminent terrorist attack" threatened the busy Bole district, which includes the capital's international airport and several diplomatic missions.

"The embassy has received threat reports of Al-Shebab's intent to target the Bole area," said the notice to citizens released Tuesday.

"Restaurants, hotels, bars, places of worship, supermarkets, and shopping malls in the Bole area should be avoided until further notice, because they are possible targets."

Ethiopian troops are fighting the Shehab in Somalia as part of the UN-backed African Union force there.

The embassy warned its citizens in Addis Ababa "to avoid large crowds and places where both Ethiopians and Westerners frequent".

The Shebab, which carried out the September 2013 massacre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi's Westgate mall, continue to pose a regional threat, including plotting or carrying out attacks in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, as well as inside Somalia.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab have lost a string of key towns and ports in recent months to 22,000-strong AU force, which fights alongside government troops.

US air strikes last month killed the Shebab commander Ahmed Abdi Godane.

However, Maman Sidikou, who heads the AU mission in Somalia, told the UN Security Council in a briefing Tuesday the Shebab have managed to "still retain appreciable numbers of its fighters and equipment."

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Roha said:

^^

Trust me, weyane knows everything that goes on in that city. This might be another TPLF control mechanism before the next election.

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Yoniii said:

G7 bombning Addis. :lol: The G7 might be foolish at times, but they are patriotic Ethiopians. They would never attack civilians, unlike Al-Shabab.

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FKebede said:

Just as Al Shabab wants to impose their version of Islam on others and hates to tolerate or give rights to those who are different, G7 wants to impose their version of Ethiopia on others, hates the fact that the different ethnic groups of Ethiopia have the right to govern themselves in their regions.

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