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Erta Ale (Ethiopia) volcano news:

Erta Ale Janurary 17 kidnapping - ARDUF claims responsability, hostages said to be well

More than a month after the 17 January attack on tourists and scientists at Erta Ale volcano, in which 5 were killed, several wounded and 4 people kidnapped, there is still no reliable news about the fate of the kidnapped.
The rebel Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF) has claimed responsibility for the attack, and added that the kidnapped 2 German tourists and two Ethiopian guides are in good health and will be released if there is a "positive" diplomatic outcome with Ethiopia who blames Eritrea to support ARDUF, Reuters reported.
In the meanwhile, tour groups are returning to the area again. The Ethiopian government was said to have established a semi permanent military unit to increase safety for tourists at the volcano.

ARDUF's main political goal is to unite the Afar area. It does not accept the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, where several Afar tribes currently live divided on both sides.
The group has been accused to have been conducting or supporting violent attacks in the Danakil area, where tourists started to arrive in ever increasing numbers since the mid 1990s. Both Ethiopia and Eritrea accuse each other of being involved (supporting ARDUF) in the recent attack.

from Wikipedia:
In March 1995, ARDUF was involved in the kidnapping of Italian tourists in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, which resulting in an Ethiopian military campaign against the group, coordinated with the Eritrean government. Travelers reported clashes between ARDUF and Ethiopian government forces in the Dallol district through 1995, which led an end of all traffic on caravan trade routes through the Dallol area and resulting food shortages.
Political attempts at reconciliation were made in October 1997 with the creation of an Afar conference, and again in November, though both of these failed. Mohamooda Gaas, founder of ARDUF, made a statement declaring unilateral cease-fire with government forces on 5 June 1998 after the beginning of the 1998-2000 Eritrean-Ethiopian War and an Eritrean attack on the town of Alitena, inhabited primarily by Irob people (an ethnicity closely related linguistically to Afars). As a result of the fighting's civilian casualties, ARDUF reconciled with the Ethiopian government to minimize civilian casualties in the region and condemned the Eritrean government's attacks.
In July 2003 ARDUF became a member of the newly formed UEDF coalition, in opposition to the ruling EPRDF party. Soon after, on 20 September 2003, it issued a warning against foreigners entering the northern area of Afar Region for the purpose of demarcating the eastern part of the Ethiopian-Eritrean border, as it would be against the party's policy of Afar unity, who live on both sides of the eastern border.

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Erta Ale volcano (Danakil desert, Ethiopia) security update - volcano reopened for tour groups, Ethiopian government sends military to secure

Ert Ale volcano, the site of the deadly terrorist attack 4 weeks ago, in which 5 people were killed, several wounded and 4 abducted, is now open for tour groups again, local sources confirm us, and the first European tour operators have resumed their expeditions (or never cancelled them, despite the accidents...).
According to our correspondent in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Government is mobilizing mechanized troops and fenced the near border with Eritrea (where the attackers presumably came from) and establish a permanent special security force in the Dallol and Ert Ale areas. This illustrates the peculiar situation in this region, but according to tour operators in Ethiopia, the area can now be considered "100% safe".
Unfortunately, there is no good news yet about the fate of the 4 abducted German tourists and Ethiopian guides, except that negotiations between the various parties involved (governments from Germany, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the local Afar chiefs) are "ongoing". We hope for their liberation soon!

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Deadly attack on tourists at Erta Ale - further details: 5 dead, 4 abducted and 7 wounded

We have now more precise details from what happened at Erta Ale yesterday, and can confirm that the attack was not on Dallol as we suspected, but on the crater rim of Erta Ale volcano.
For years now, this has been a popular camping spot for tourists visiting the spectacular lava lake. According to our correspondents in Addis, who are in satellite phone contact with guides on location in the area, the attack happened on Tuesday around 01:00 Am local time.
5 people at least were shot dead by a group of armed rebels from Eritrea, who suddenly opened fire on the group. The victims include tourists 2 each from Germany and Hungary and 1Austrian. Their bodies have arrived in Semera town, the capital city of the Afar Region, and are now being transported to Addis.
In addition, 2 Germans and 2 Ethiopians were captured and abducted by the Eritrean terrorist.
Other 7 tourists were wounded and also arrived in Semera for further treatment in the Hospital. Among the seven tourists there is one Ethiopian Police man and the rest are from Germany, Italy and Hungary.
A large unit of the Militry of Ethiopia has arrived near Erta Ale and bans all visits to the volcano for an indefinite time we are told.
The government has send helicopters to the area to collect the bodies and to bring the wounded people. Now the area is under control and supervision of the Ethiopian Government "guarantying peace and stability" we are told.

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