3 days of unrest in Addis…

These past three days have been quite eventful. Though I must say that today has been the worst till now.

On Monday – the day the official results of the elections was meant to come University students protested because the elections were run unfairly.

‘The opposition and ruling parties have alleged that gunmen intimidated voter, people were forced to vote for certain parties, ballot boxes were stuffed or disappeared, and the number of ballots in some constituencies exceeded the number of registered voters.’

Thus last Monday 370 students had been arrested in Addis and 150 elsewhere in the country.

Today the protesting went out of hand, notwithstanding the President’s Ban on demonstrations (how can someone ban demonstrations????, I don’t think its something somebody can control!)

It started off by a strike of taxi drivers and bus drivers…. And went on with demonstrations at the Merkato (apparently the biggest market place in East Africa)…..

“There had been an attempt by a group of people to break and look shops. Roadblocks had been set up and stones thrown by the people. In the ensuing conflict, some eight lives have been lost, which the government regrets very much,”

Though the final count according to my sources is now 20.

The people living in the house I’m living in were told not to go to work today, while I ventured bravely to work, hoping not to be shot or stonned on the way.

Nothing really happened in the area where I am living, or the office area… though loads of troubles happened around our Base Stations in Addis, some of the Employees told me that they heard shooting, not further than 50mtrs from where they were, and somewhere else they were burning busses, I got all these first hand accounts from all the employees I was trying to contact to make sure they are safe!!!!

I also spent a whole day trying to figure out an evacuation plan for the expats!! (who can imagine I would be doing this! I was terrified!!) as well as trying to figure out which embassy is going to take care of me!!! As obviously there are no Maltese Embassies in Ethiopia!!! Nevertheless I have a good contact with the Swedish Embassy, who is meant to take care of me!!!

I am usually calm in these circumstances and I don’t worry too much, such as in the Egyptian bombings (no bombing here thank God), though in this case I have no embassy to run to!

Till now I’m quite fine! And enjoyed going home early (I sent everyone home early just in case something comes up) – though I hope things settle…. Otherwise I’ll have to rush to the Merkato and buy myself a Kalashnikov (the lonely planet says they sell from Kalashnikovs to Camels to expensive incenses) to keep in my handbag!!!

He he something I found a big funny is the fact that the reporters say that at the Merkato they were not sure if the Police or the Security or the Army or the Public was shooting and throwing tear gas!!! - I hope they did not destroy a lot of the African souvenirs and craft I wanted to buy before I leave!!!

Anyways – I’m safe, and I’ve contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malta who is trying to figure out who will take care of me!! :D Besides I’ve almost perfected an evacuation plan!!! So I’ll be the first to put it in practice!!!!!