Ethiopia: Grenade thrown into residence of Gondar mayor

Tekeba Tebabal, Mayor of Gondar

ESAT News (March 6, 2017)

A grenade was thrown into the residence of the mayor of the city of Gondar in northern Ethiopia early Sunday.

The mayor, Tekeba Tebabal, was not at his residence at the time of the explosion and no one was injured, according to a source who spoke to ESAT.

No party took responsibility for the attack but the source said the mayor might have been targeted by groups opposing the Ethiopian regime due to his ties to the authorities. The source also said opposition groups hold the mayor responsible for the death and incarceration of several people opposing the regime.

This is the third grenade attack in the year. A bomb was thrown at the Entasol hotel in Gondar in January killing one person and injuring 18 others. An explosion hit the Grand Hotel in Bahir Dar but there were no casualties from that attack.

Security has been tight in the city and security forces have been searching residences following the attack.