Ethiopian students clash with police in election protests

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian students clashed briefly with security forces here yesterday as riot police broke up protests against last month’s disputed elections at two university campuses, witnesses said.

Baton-wielding police charged groups of students after being pelted with stones on the outskirts of Addis Ababa University, before hundreds of protesters were taken away from the Faculty of Social Sciences on large trucks, they said. “Where are they taking my son?” cried the mother of one student as he and others were herded onto one of eight trucks, each carrying about 80 people, by authorities.”I don’t know what’s going to happen.”There were no immediate signs of serious injuries or use of firearms by security forces, who were called to the university after the students defied a post-election ban on demonstrations to protest alleged electoral fraud.One soldier said the detained students were being taken to local police stations but it was not immediately clear whether they would be charged with violating the ban.The violence erupted after the security forces surrounded the social sciences faculty and the nearby Faculty of Science and Medicine where up to 900 students were protesting alleged ruling party fraud in the May 15 polls.Troops blocked the road to the university and trucks carrying special forces armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers were seen deploying in the area.Between 400 and 500 students had been protesting at the medical school and between 300 and 400 at the social sciences school, chanting and singing slogans complaining about the elections, an AFP correspondent on the scene said.Ethiopian officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the protests which appear to be covered the month-long ban on demonstrations in the capital imposed by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi after the polls closed.The students were accusing Meles’ ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) of trying to steal the election through massive vote rigging and fraud, complaints first raised by the country’s opposition.”We are demonstrating because EPRDF is making a fraud, misleading the whole international community saying they have won,” one student yelled through the gates of the social science school.”We don’t accept the victory of EPRDF, the CUD has won,” the student shouted at reporters, referring to the Coalition for Unity and Democracy, the main opposition group.- Nampa-AFP”Where are they taking my son?” cried the mother of one student as he and others were herded onto one of eight trucks, each carrying about 80 people, by authorities.”I don’t know what’s going to happen.”There were no immediate signs of serious injuries or use of firearms by security forces, who were called to the university after the students defied a post-election ban on demonstrations to protest alleged electoral fraud.One soldier said the detained students were being taken to local police stations but it was not immediately clear whether they would be charged with violating the ban.The violence erupted after the security forces surrounded the social sciences faculty and the nearby Faculty of Science and Medicine where up to 900 students were protesting alleged ruling party fraud in the May 15 polls.Troops blocked the road to the university and trucks carrying special forces armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers were seen deploying in the area.Between 400 and 500 students had been protesting at the medical school and between 300 and 400 at the social sciences school, chanting and singing slogans complaining about the elections, an AFP correspondent on the scene said.Ethiopian officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the protests which appear to be covered the month-long ban on demonstrations in the capital imposed by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi after the polls closed.The students were accusing Meles’ ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) of trying to steal the election through massive vote rigging and fraud, complaints first raised by the country’s opposition.”We are demonstrating because EPRDF is making a fraud, misleading the whole international community saying they have won,” one student yelled through the gates of the social science school.”We don’t accept the victory of EPRDF, the CUD has won,” the student shouted at reporters, referring to the Coalition for Unity and Democracy, the main opposition group.- Nampa-AFP