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Peaceful has reportedly returned to the east African nation of Eritrea a day after a group of mutinous soldiers attempted to take over the country’s information ministry.
More than one hundred dissident soldiers stormed the ministry in Asmara early Monday, ordering state television announcers to read a statement calling for the release of political prisoners and telling the one thousand nine hundred ninety seven constitution would be respected.
It is unclear how the situation was resolved, but the soldiers are believed to have left the ministry by late Monday.
In a message posted on Twitter Tuesday, the director of the Eritrean president’s office, Yemane Ghebremeskel, said «all is tranquil today as it was yesterday.»
Diplomats and residents say the situation in the capital is quiet with no military presence seen on the streets.
The U.S.-based Eritrean opposition website, Awate.com, says the mutiny was led by a prominent military commander, named Saleh Osman, in an attempt to restart stalled negotiations for the country’s democratization.
President Isaias Afewerki has ruled Eritrea since 1993. His government has kept taut control on the country, permitting little dissent and no independent media.
The government is believed to hold thousands of political prisoners, including journalists and officials who questioned the president’s leadership.
The United Nations human rights office has said the country of about six million people holds inbetween Five,000 and Ten,000 political prisoners.
Syria Activists: Car Bomb Toll at Least 42
Syrian rights activists say the death toll from a suicide car bombing in the central province of Hama late Monday has risen to at least forty two people.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack targeted a building used by pro-government militiamen in the town of Salamiyah. It said civilians were among the dead.
Syrian state news agency SANA gave a death toll of thirty two people and blamed the bombing on terrorists whom it says are behind a 22-month rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad.
The Observatory also reported deadly battles inbetween mostly Sunni anti-government rebels and minority Kurdish fighters in the northeastern town of Ras al-Ain, on the border with Turkey.
It said at least fifty six fighters have been killed in a week of fighting in the area. Syria’s minority Kurds have largely remained on the sidelines of the majority-Sunni led rebellion, but have long sought greater autonomy from Damascus.
The Observatory said pro-Assad troops and rebels engaged in more battles in Damascus province on Tuesday.
Dozens of Russians boarded buses from Syria to neighboring Lebanon in the very first evacuation organized by Moscow since the begin of the Syrian uprising in 2011.
The Russian government had sent two planes to the Lebanese capital Beirut to fly the Russians back home. Syria’s main international airport outside Damascus has been largely devoid of traffic in latest weeks due to fighting along the road to the capital.
Russia is one of the few remaining international allies of Mr. Assad’s government. But, it has been distancing itself from the Syrian leader, acknowledging that he may be ousted by the uprising.
Separately, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on U.N. members to send senior delegations to an international donor conference for Syria, to be held in Kuwait on January 30. He said the international community must do everything it can to help Syrians in need.
The UNHCR reported Tuesday that it is dramatically scaling up its operations for Syrian refugees. The agency says it is hard to keep tempo with the enlargening numbers of people fleeing Syria into neighboring countries.
