U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
1997 APRIL: PATTERNS OF GLOBAL TERRORISM, 1996

Office of the Secretary
Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Philip C. Wilcox, Jr.

AFRICA OVERVIEW

CONTENTS

• Introduction
• Ethiopia
• Uganda

Introduction

Eleven international terrorist attacks occurred in Africa during 1996, one more than during the previous year. Most took place in Ethiopia, where there were several deadly bombings and armed attacks.

Ethiopia

Addis Ababa was the site of two deadly hotel bombings in 1996. On 18 January an explosion in a hotel frequented by diplomats and foreign visitors killed four persons and injured at least 20 others, among them several foreigners. A bomb exploded in a second hotel on 5 August, killing two persons and injuring 17, including a Belgian citizen. Antigovernment groups are believed responsible for both attacks.

On 8 July gunmen shot and wounded the Ethiopian Transport and Communications Minister in Addis Ababa. An ethnic Somali Islamic extremist group, al-Ittihaad al-Islami, claimed responsibility for the shooting.

In October unidentified assailants shot three foreigners in a shopping area in the eastern city of Dire Dawa. A German was killed on 5 October, and on 16 October a French national and a Yemeni were killed. Although no claims of responsibility were made, local officials blamed Islamic extremists for the attacks.

Uganda

On 24 October gunmen attacked a Sudanese refugee camp in Uganda near the border with Sudan, killing 16 refugees and wounding five others. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.