No American Participation in Great Ethiopian Run November 23, 2008

21 November, 2008

(Addis Fortune) The US Embassy in Addis Abeba has advised its staff and citizens to shy away from the increasingly popular, biggest annual road race to take place next Sunday, November 23, 2008, in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

The Great Ethiopian Run, with the “Africa’s Biggest Road Race” tag its promoters have given it, and its growing global participants, is expected to attract 32,000 Ethiopian and others nationals this year.

The American embassy sent a warning email last Friday, November 14, 2008, to its entire staff and families not to take part in the event due to security reasons, and a similar precautionary message to US citizens living in Ethiopia is posted on its official website.

The Ethiopian government’s Anti- Terrorism Task Force warned of an unspecified terrorist threat on November 5, 2008, however, the task force announced the next day that the terror plotters had been apprehended.

Bekele Jirata, secretary general of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and Kebede Borena, Hilton Addis deputy manager, were among the dozen of suspects detained by the task force.

Immediately after the warning was issued by the Ethiopian government, the US Embassy in Addis communicated to its staffs and citizens living in the country to avoid public gatherings.

Though the government announced that it has detained the alleged architects of the plot, the embassy seems unconvinced that the plots have been aborted and thus, it preferred to caution its staff and citizens.

“In light of the Government of Ethiopia’s warning of an unspecified terrorist threat in Ethiopia, as detailed in a warden message dated November 6, 2008, the embassy has ordered all embassy American staff and their family members not to take part in the Great Ethiopian Run,” the email sent to embassy staff and US citizens reads.

It also reiterates the earlier advice it sent out to American citizens on November 6, 2008, to avoid public gatherings and public places, including hotels, and that they avoid using public transport and transportation hubs.

“The measure taken by the embassy is just because of their policy,” Hassen Shifa, deputy director general of the Federal Police Commission told Fortune. “But the current situation could not threaten the Great Ethiopian Run.”

He, nevertheless, declined to comment on whether the reported terror plots and the network have been effectively dealt with.

“I am not aware of the measures taken by the embassy,” Haile Gebreselassie, the renowned Ethiopian world class long distance athlete and founder of the Great Ethiopian Run, told Fortune. “The security issue is not in our hands, it is the responsibility of the government.”

Like the case in the last Great Run, any security measures are not the responsibility of the organizer, Richard Nerurkar, general manager of the Great Ethiopian Run told Fortune.

The 2007 run was postponed from September 9 to November 25, 2007, for the same security reason.

Addisu Legesse, deputy prime minister, was the one who informed Haile Gebreselassie on August 28, 2007, about the postponement of the event.

The Great Ethiopian Run has been conducted annually since 2000.