Affrontement à Djibouti : deux morts – 18 février 2011

Manifestation à Djibouti: un policier et un manifestant tués

romandie.com

19 02 2011

DJIBOUTI – Deux personnes, un policier et un manifestant, ont été tuées vendredi soir au cours de violences ayant éclaté à l’issue d’un grand rassemblement de l’opposition dans la capitale djiboutienne, selon un bilan officiel donné samedi par le ministère de l’Intérieur.

« Deux personnes, dont un policier, ont trouvé la mort suite à la manifestation organisée vendredi par l’opposition qui dénonçait le pouvoir légitime en place et réclamait le report de l’élection présidentielle du 8 avril », a indiqué le ministère de l’Intérieur dans un communiqué.

« Un policier a trouvé la mort suite aux violents accrochages qui ont opposé les forces de l’ordre et des groupes surexcités de manifestants qui ont saccagé, détruit, pillé et brûlé de nombreux biens », affirme ce communiqué. Lire la suite…

Enfrentamiento en Djibouti cobra 2 vidas

Xinhua

10:49:39 2011-

Editor： Rui

Dos personas murieron en los enfrentamientos entre manifestantes y la policía en Djibouti, según la información más reciente que llega aquí hoy desde el país del Cuerno de Africa.

En un comunicado, el Ministerio del Interior de Djibouti señala que un manifestante y un oficial de policía murieron en las confrontaciones que iniciaron ayer.

Por otra parte, las autoridades revelaron que tres líderes de la oposición fueron detenidos después que miles de manifestantes tomaron las calles exigiendo la renuncia del presidente Ismael Omar Guelleh.

La policía lanzó latas de gas lacrimógeno en los enfrentamientos en los que, según ellos, los manifestantes lanzaron piedras contra las fuerzas de seguridad. También culparon a los manifestantes por prender fuego a vehículos y destruir puestos de la policía. Mas…

Demonstrators, police clash in Djibouti streets

AFP

18 02 2011

DJIBOUTI — Djibouti police firing tear gas clashed Friday with demonstrators who turned out in their thousands in an unprecedented protest to demand the departure of President Ismael Omar Guelleh, an AFP reporter said.

The protest by opposition supporters had started peacefully at around 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) but the demonstrators then decided to set up camp outside a stadium, vowing to remain there until their demand is met.

After dusk, the standoff escalated into clashes, pitting demonstrators hurling stones against riot police firing tear gas grenades.

The area facing the interior ministry was blocked to traffic, with only police vehicles screeching past with their sirens wailing.

Two burned-out cars could be seen near the el-Hannan hospital; other vehicles were damaged and glass from broken car windows crunched underfoot.

The rare demonstration in the tiny Horn of Africa country was organised amid mounting opposition to the president, who last year had the constitution amended to allow him to seek a third mandate in upcoming April elections.

« IOG out », read one banner, using the president’s initials, as most Djiboutians do. « No to a third mandate », read another banner.

When the demonstration started opposition leaders addressed a peaceful crowd consisting mainly of students.

Colonel Abdillahi Abdi Farah, the national police chief, told AFP that the protestors were no more than 600 to 700.

But the crowd swelled as several thousand protestors set up camp at the entrance of a stadium facing the interior ministry, with the intention of staying there until their demand is met.

Later in the afternoon, the president of the Union for Democratic Change, an umbrella group of three opposition parties, Ismael Guedi Hared, put the number of demonstrators at 40,000.

« This peaceful popular uprising reflects the desire of the Djiboutian people to see the fall of the ruling regime, » he told AFP.

Demonstrators were determined to hunker down in front of the stadium for as long as necessary, mimicking the protracted protests on Cairo’s Tahrir square that got the better of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year-old rule.

Asked if he hoped for an Egypt-like scenario, Hared said: « Yes, that’s it. »

« We came out here to stay. We will leave when the regime collapses, » said Habiba, a young student from Djibouti University.

« We don’t want you here anymore, IOG, » shouted Hassan, a young unemployed Djiboutian from the capital’s Balbala neighbourhood.

Security forces were deployed en masse but initially refrained from attempting to break up the protest.

Small groups of protesters could still be seen in the streets later in the night after police broke up the gathering and the clashes died down, an AFP correspondent said. Read more…