The politics of fear in Ethiopia

I am trying to publicise as widely as possible what is happening now in Ethiopia - but without jeopardizing the possibilities for getting a visa to go back asap. So please do not mention my name if you decide to publicise the following.

I was in Addis working with ILO last week during the strike. Reports were very varied and contradictory, but what seems to have happened is:

1) the opposition had called for a one week strike immediately following Eid to enable Muslims also to join the protest against Meles’ rigging of the elections.

2) something sparked resistance early. This led to at least 50 people shot dead at random by the military – they do not speak the same language and have also been trained to be extra aggressive. The deaths included children and women trying to prevent their sons being taken away. Most of the resistance from the people was just in the form of roadblocks and stones. At least one person was shot dead just in front of a factory I was visiting.

3) 3,000 at least have now been detained and shipped to detention camps in the desert including all opposition leaders, human rights activists and journalists.

4) Government is also blocking any forms of communication it can eg the independent Amharic station.

I do hope you can make these facts widely known so the repression can stop and the detainees released – and also use any networks you have to update/correct any of the above information. Unfortunately all my contacts are too scared to speak at this time.

It seems the only way of getting world attention is to blow up a few tourists or set a few cars alight in the streets of Paris. BBC and CNN seemed more interested in Charles and Camilla's visit to US.