Nightmare holiday
January 18, 2012
The Afar region, near the border with Eritrea, is one of the most interesting parts of Ethiopia - and one of the most dangerous. Even before the attack, Germany's Foreign Ministry had warned tourists to avoid the area.
"Attacks by armed bandits or local militias are possible. In the case of unavoidable travel through the area, protective measures should be requested from the local authorities," says a ministry travel advisory The Afar region is well-known abroad for fossils found there. At the same time, it's one of the poorest parts of the world and the site of frequent attacks.
Abductions common in Afar
Five staffers of the British embassy and 13 Ethiopians were abducted in Afar in 2007. Their captors released them unharmed a short while later. Although the respective governments remained tight-lipped about the details of the abduction and the release of their nationals, many observers assume that an Afar rebel group was behind the kidnapping. Elders of the Afar ethnic group, a nomadic people that inhabits the area, negotiated the release.
In 2008, Ethiopian security forces prevented a planned attack on a group of tourists at the last moment. Numerous landmines dotted all over the area pose another security risk. In 2009, two Ethiopians were killed and a foreigner seriously wounded when a mine exploded.
In the latest attack, a group of eight tourists was targeted. According to Ethiopia's state-run ETV television station, they were on their way to the volcano of Erta Ale, a well-known landmark in the Afar region. They are reported to have been attacked on Monday by a gang of gunmen close to the border of Eritrea. By Wednesday afternoon, the Ethiopian authorities reported that five tourists were killed in the attack - among them two Germans. This has been now confirmed by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
The Ethiopian government was quick to blame Eritrea for the attack. "Armed gangs that were trained and sponsored by Eritrea crossed the border and attacked the tourists," Ethiopia's Information Minister Bereket Simon said. According to the minister, the gang then withdrew over the border into Eritrea.
Eritrea was just as quick to refute the allegations. "It's a common modus operandi of the Ethiopian government to always point the finger against Eritrea," Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union, Girma Asmerom, was quoted as saying.
A propaganda war
This latest episode in the propaganda war between the governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara follows a familiar pattern. The two neighbors are arch-enemies and fought each other in a bloody border war from 1998 to 2000. Both countries are known to harbor groups that oppose the government of the other side.
Last year, Ethiopia's Premier Meles Zenawi announced that his government would support Eritrean exile groups in their bid to oust the government of President Isaias Afewerki. Eritrea, for its part, hosts the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) that fights for the independence of the Oromo region in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has labeled it a terrorist outfit. Last year, the authorities in Ethiopia arrested dozens of Oromos under the draconian Anti Terror Act for having links with the OLF.
By late Wednesday afternoon it was still unclear whether the latest attack on tourists has a political background. One theory is that Afaris might have staged the attack to protest against the Ethiopian government's policies. Afar groups in exile have repeatedly protested against what they call human rights violations by the Ethiopian government.
Security to be tightened
Many observers expect that the Ethiopian government will now tighten its security measures. Addis Ababa is due to host the annual summit of African heads of state and government at the end of the year. Last year's summit was already the target of a botched attack by Eritrea, according to research by the United Nations.
The latest attack also deals a major blow to Ethiopia's attempts to market itself as a prime destination for adventure and cultural tourism. German travel companies in particular brought an increasing number of tourists there in the past year. Ethiopia is famous for its cultural riches and treasures. The German government's security advisories were often hidden in the small print.
Author: Ludger Schadomsky / dp
Editor: Susan Houlton / rm