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28 April, 2007
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Eight Ethiopians released this week after being held hostage for nearly two months in the remote Afar desert said they were "beaten" and "exposed to inhuman treatment," state media reported.
The drivers and guides -- captured with five Europeans who were released after 12 days -- were finally let go last Sunday after 52 days in captivity, and returned to the Ethiopian capital late Thursday.
The ex-hostages told Ethiopian television that they had been mistreated by their captors, who wore Eritrean army uniforms.
"We suffered inhumane treatment throughout our stay. The water was dirty and undrinkable, there was hardly any food and we had to walk for five days through salt fields and other inhospitable places when they kidnapped us," said Hussein Mohammed Ismael, owner of a guesthouse.
Another ex-captive, Yonas Mesfin, reiterated Ethiopia's claims that Eritrea was responsible for the kidnapping, which happened in the remote Afar region, straddling both countries and Djibouti. State media said the hostages were released in Eritrea.
"A total of 20 to 30 armed men kidnapped us ... and they wore Eritrean army uniforms. We were also taken towards Eritrea after that," said Yonas.
The state-owned Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), citing ex-captive Hussein Mohamed, said the hostages were "beaten by gunmen who wore Eritrean uniforms".
Asmara has rejected accusations that it was involved in the kidnapping, saying the allegations were designed to divert attention from Ethiopia's own internal opposition.
The Ethiopians were abducted at gunpoint with a British embassy-linked group of three men and two women on March 1 in northeast Ethiopia.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bitter territorial war between 1998 and 2000 and are still at odds over their unresolved border dispute.
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