Eritrea charges Ethiopia,Sudan for bomb blast that
killed 3 and injured 50
27/05/2004
07:21 - (SA)
Asmara - Eritrea
on Wednesday charged the governments of Sudan and Ethiopia with responsibility
for a bomb blast that killed three people in the west of the country, accusing
its fellow Horn of Africa states of sponsoring "terrorism."
"Terrorist
acts in different areas of Gash-Barka region sponsored by the TPLF (Ethiopian)
and Khartoum regimes to disrupt the 13th Independence Day anniversary
celebrations have been foiled by Eritrean security force, except the one in
Barentu town," the information ministry said.
Earlier on
Wednesday, United Nations officials in Asmara said three people were killed and
50 seriously wounded overnight when a bomb exploded in the Eritrean town of
Barentu.
"The bomb
exploded on Tuesday at 23:45 in the centre of (the western town of) Barentu
where people had gathered to dance and celebrate" the country's
independence anniversary, said one UN official, who asked not to be named.
"At least
three people were killed and 50 severely injured," another UN official
said.
The
information ministry gave no indication of casualties in the Barentu blast but
said "some of the terrorists who were deployed by the TPLF and Khartoum
regimes to carry out acts of terrorism were killed and others captured."
The
governments in Addis Ababa and Khartoum "have been training and arming
different terrorist groups and continuously infiltrating such groups into
Eritrean territory with the intention of engaging in futile attempts to
undermine peace and security of the population," the ministry said,
quoting a senior Eritrean government official, whom it did not name.
Eritrea has
tense relations with Sudan and Ethiopia, and has accused the two countries of
forming an "axis of belligerence" together with Yemen.
Asmara has
denied accusations by Khartoum that it is backing rebels in Sudan's western
Darfur region.
Edited by
Anthea Jonathan
Unlimited, high
