Updated: Two die in a bomb blast in Addis Ababa
The two people who have reportedly been killed by a bomb blast that went off at a residence in Bole district here in the Capital Addis Ababa, on Sunday Oct. 13th at about 3PM local time, are reported to be of Somali nationals. “The ones who died were of Somali origin,” Redwan Hussein, Head of the Government Communication Affairs office told AFP.
However, Ambassador Dina Mufti, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on his part said the police were “carrying out the investigations,” and that nothing was known so far. “We are waiting for the investigation reports from the police,” he told Addis Standard by a phone this afternoon.
The incident happened in a neighborhood known as Bole Michael, not far from the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. The area is home to thousands of Somali refugees who came during the past two decades of civil war in their country.
Some of the settlers came as early as 1993 and have been granted residence status by the Ethiopian government, which helped them run their own businesses such as supermarkets, boutiques, music shops, and restaurants in the area which gradually became known as Little Somalia.
According to unconfirmed report obtained by Addis Standard, the bomb went off at a household where there was “serious family feud,” says a resident in the area. The police have refused to give further information including the identities of the victims saying the matter was under investigation and that information will be released to the media in due time.
