Yearbook 2006
Ethiopia. The trial of well over 100 opposition
politicians, journalists and human rights activists
continued in 2006. They were prosecuted in 2005 for treason
and genocide in connection with unrest following
parliamentary elections, in which they claimed the regime
had cheated.
According to
CountryAAH, most of the country's financial assistance to the
government remained frozen. However, in May, the World Bank
and the United Kingdom committed a total of approximately SEK 3.2 billion to humanitarian aid, provided that the
government would not receive the money.
A series of blast attacks in public places, especially
the capital Addis Ababa, demanded several deaths. Who was
behind the explosions did not appear, but the police
suggested a connection to the ongoing mass trial by claiming
that a larger seizure of explosives could be traced to the
opposition Alliance Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD),
whose leaders were among the defendants. The CUD announced
in May that it has entered into cooperation with four armed
opposition movements but intends to continue waging a
peaceful fight against the regime.
Two EU diplomats, one of whom is a Swedish, were expelled
in October after, according to the government, being caught
trying to smuggle two oppositionists out of the country. On
the same day, the head of EU election observers in 2005 had
revealed that an official investigation showed that
Ethiopian police killed 193 people during the unrest; far
more than the government admitted.
After a twelve-year trial, former dictator Mengistu Haile
Mariam was found and eleven co-accused in December guilty of
genocide during the left regime 1974–91. The penalty was
expected to be set in early 2007. However, Mengistu lives in
security in Zimbabwe, whose government emphasized that he
should not be extradited.
During the fall, Ethiopia sent large troops into Somalia,
where Islamist militia took control of ever-larger
territory. The Islamist militia proclaimed jihad (holy war)
against Ethiopia, whose forces at the end of December went
on the offensive in support of the fragile Somali transition
government. In a brief but intense flight and armor war, the
Islamist militia was driven away from all cities and an
Ethiopian-supported government could be installed in the
capital Mogadishu.
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