1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Ethiopia

Bomb explodes on fuel tanker

A small bomb planted on a fuel tanker travelling into the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, has exploded but miraculously no-one was killed, government officials said on Tuesday. A second bomb planted on another Ethiopian tanker was spotted and defused by bomb squad experts, government spokesman Zemedkun Teckle added. “Fortunately no one was injured in the explosion,” Zemedkun said. “The police are still investigating and it is too early to say who might be responsible.” The bombs were planted on the two trucks carrying petrol from Djibouti. The first truck was completely destroyed in the blast which occurred on Sunday night. So far no-one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Ethiopia has been hit by sporadic bomb attacks in recent years, many of which the government has blamed on the rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). In September 2002, two people died when a bomb exploded on a passenger train travelling from Djibouti to Ethiopia. The government accused the rebels of carrying out that attack, an accusation they denied. They did, however, claim responsibility for a similar bomb attack on the same line in June that year, which damaged a terminal building and a train carriage. Ethiopian police have appealed to the public for information on the latest attacks.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join