Tourists attacked on volcano visit

AFP
January 19, 2012

Gunmen: Five European tourists were killed and two Ethiopians were kidnapped by rebel fighters on a trip to a remote volcano in Ethiopia. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

GUNMEN have killed five European tourists and kidnapped two people who were visiting a volcano in Ethiopia.

Gunmen attacked the tourists, who were visiting the famed Erta Ale volcano in the remote northeast of Ethiopia, the government said yesterday.

The volcano is one of Africa's most spectacular and lies in the Afar depression - reputedly one of the least hospitable places on the planet - where local rebels have claimed attacks and kidnappings in the past.

Ethiopia blamed Eritrea but Asmara fiercely denied any involvement in the attack, which dealt yet another blow to regional tourism after recent kidnappings in Kenyan resorts and attacks on yachts by Somali pirates.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's spokesman Peter Szijjarto, in an emailed statement, provided the nationalities of all the tourists involved in Monday's incident, citing information he said was obtained from Interpol.

"Two Hungarians were killed in Ethiopia and another lightly wounded... In total, five people were killed: two Germans, two Hungarians and an Austrian," the spokesman said.

"Two Italians were able to escape, two Belgians were lightly wounded. Two Germans and two Ethiopians were abducted," he added.

Belgium said one of its nationals was wounded in the attack, as was a British friend she was travelling with.

Ethiopian government spokesman Bereket Simon had said earlier that the dead were from Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Italy and Austria. He also said two Ethiopians were abducted.

The German foreign ministry said a crisis cell had been set up over the attack, but added that it could not confirm reports of death or seizure of German citizens.

The Afar region, an arid region with shallow salty lakes and chains of volcanoes, is one of the hottest places on Earth. It also known for hominid fossil finds.

Erta Ale, or "Smoking Mountain", is an active volcano which has a width of some 50 kilometres.

It sits in the Afar depression, also known as the Danakil depression, an area which lies below sea level and features as the dramatic backdrop to scenes in Hollywood's 2010 epic Sam Worthington film "Clash of the Titans".

Access to the region is limited and foreigners need official approval to get there, but it attracts a steady stream of volcano buffs and adventure backpackers who often plan group trips on internet forums to share the high travel costs.

A French tourist disappeared in the region in 2004 leaving behind no trace apart from a rucksack.

In 2007, five European nationals, including British embassy staff, were captured by the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front rebels (ARDUF), who freed them after 12 days.

ARDUF, which wants the unification of Afar people divided by the borders of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti, reached a peace deal in 2003 with Addis Ababa but a dissident wing of the group is still active.

Mr Bereket blamed the attack on "terrorist groups trained and armed by the Eritrean government (who) crossed the border and attacked them and the assailants have gone back".

Eritrea vehemently denied involvement in the attack.

"It has become the modus operandi of the Ethiopian government to blame Eritrea for anything happening inside Ethiopia," said Girma Asmerom, Eritrea's representative to the African Union.

"Eritrea has never supported and will never support such an incident."

In Nairobi, Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, Shabsudin Ahmed Roble, said the attack was a provocation by Eritrea.

"The latest move by Eritrea is an act of provocation and Ethiopia will not allow Asmara to continue its terrorist attacks," said Mr Shabsudin.

"Ethiopia has the will and the might to protect its security if such provocations are not tamed immediately."

The two Horn of Africa neighbours fought a devastating war between 1998 and 2000 over the precise path of their frontier, which claimed at least 70,000 lives. The row remains unresolved.

Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia and won its independence after a protracted 30-year struggle in 1993.

Last year, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said his country was ready to help the people of Eritrea topple the regime of President Issaias Afeworki.

He accused the Eritrean government of trying to destabilise Ethiopia by backing rebel groups such as the Oromo Liberation Front and Ogaden National Liberation Front as well as the Somali al-Qaida-affiliated Shebab.

source