ESAT News (June 12, 2017)
An armed group has claimed responsibility for an arson attack at an ammunition depot in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa on Saturday.
Patriotic Ginbot 7, an armed group fighting the Ethiopian regime from its base in Eritrea, said Saturday’s attack is part of the resistance movement carried out by its cells everywhere in Ethiopia.
The fire at the Federal Police ammunition depot in the capital went for hours and caused extensive damage to the depot before the city’s fire department was able to put it under control.
Dr. Tadesse Biru, a member of the leadership of PG7, told ESAT that the Federal Police depot was targeted by his group because it has been used as one of the over 50 “safe houses” used by regime’s security to torture political opponents.
“Political opponents would be blindfolded and taken to one of these compounds so called by the regime security forces as ‘safe houses,’” Dr. Biru told ESAT.
He said the ammunition depot doubles as a torture chamber where opponents of the regime go through unimaginable physical and psychological torture.
“The people have been peacefully demanding their political and other rights but the regime chose to turn deaf ears. The attack against regime targets and its army in Gondar and Gojam as well as the arson in Addis Ababa on Saturday were part of the armed struggle launched by political forces and the people in a bid to restore their rights,” Dr. Biru added.