Criminals “took advantage” of demonstrations

Chief of staff at the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, Yemane Kidane, has dismissed accusations by opposition activists that recent unrest was a sign of popular discontent with the government. Yemane told Reuters news agency that jobless youths and gangsters had “taken advantage” of student demonstrations to launch an orgy of theft and destruction. “Never in the history of Ethiopia have we seen this gangsterism,” Yemane said. He said unemployment in the city had provided “fertile ground for criminals”. He said many of those rounded up and arrested after the riots, including students, were likely to be released soon. “They will be released step by step, selectively, the students earlier than anyone else.” Those guilty of criminal acts would be taken to court and sentenced, Yemane said. Hundreds of parents, friends and relatives have travelled to Sendafa police training centre, about 20 km outside Addis Ababa, where those arrested in the wake of the unrest are reportedly being held - many of them students. Sendafa has been used before by the government as a holding centre for detainees. A BBC report on Tuesday said people looking for missing relatives had come to Sendafa “from all over the country”.