From Monsters and Critics.com Africa News Addis Ababa - The Addis Ababa Police Commission has set up a task force to investigate disturbances during Friday\'s St Michael\'s Day observances by the followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian press reported Saturday. Two people were killed and scores were injured, including 14 policemen, the reports said. One of the injured died in hospital late Friday, raising the death toll to two following the disturbances during the day in the Ethiopian capital when religious processions degenerated into violent clashes between police and stone-throwing crowds. Police have arrested 42 individuals suspected of instigating the disturbances, the state-run Ethiopian Herald reported. \'Seven policemen were injured while 17 vehicles were shattered by stones thrown by irresponsible individuals,\' the report said. Police told reporters late Friday that the disturbances occurred in the afternoon in the north-east and west of the city during the annual celebrations by followers of the orthodox church as part of the annual Epiphany festival. Riot police fired into the air in two separate locations to disperse what they described as \'unruly elements\' blocking the routes of the processions, police said. The police also said they were pelted with stones. Witnesses said crowds in the processions threw stones at police when they fired in the air to clear the routes of the procession blocked by \'rowdy\' elements among the crowd. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur© Copyright 2003 - 2005 by monstersandcritics.com. This notice cannot be removed without permission. |