Ethiopia: Capital police brutalize protesters over razed mosque
11 August 2006, ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Riot police fired rubber bullets and tear gas Friday at hundreds of stone-throwing Muslims who were protesting the demolition of a half-built mosque in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, witnesses said.
Several people were bleeding in the streets, but the extent of their injuries was not clear.
More than 100 protesters were taken away in four military trucks. Another 100 were under armed guard on the street.
At least one car was overturned and several others had windows smashed during the clashes in the capital's Merkato district, the main Muslim area of Addis Ababa.
Police restored order to the area after several hours.
Federal Police Cmdr. Hailu Demsash said the clashes began after Muslim youths began throwing stones at police. The disturbances were sparked after some houses and the half-built mosque were demolished because they had been illegally built on city administration-owned land, he said.
"Muslim leaders were unhappy about the new site that was offered for the mosque," he told The Associated Press. "Some people in the community began to make problems. The police took action to displace the large crowds."
Ethiopia's population of about 77 million is about 45 percent Christian and about the same percentage Muslim, with the rest following indigenous beliefs.
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