Tension

This morning I awoke to a very tense city. There is very little traffic on the roads, most shops are shut and people are just waiting to see what happens.

Last night the police arrested opposition leaders and the heads of all independent media. The government accuses them of organizing these illegal riots and inciting violence and says they can defend their cases while they are in custody. The government statement says, “The police contained the riot and violence before the damage incurred and the violence got worse”.

And it looks like they were not successful. As I sat in the Hilton conducting phone interviews for candidates for the project, I was listening to gunshots in the streets outside. I rushed to the window the first time, but the few people on the street were just walking along as if nothing was happening. (Don’t worry, the Hilton has large grounds and I am not in any danger. No one has any interest in the Hilton or foreigners).

One of my colleagues here called around 10am to say that he is sending the staff home. The violence has spread from the Merkato area to the area around the hotel to the other side of town near the airport. I will spend the rest of the day in the hotel working - and hopefully lying out by the pool if I have time. Although I must say it will feel a bit strange to be sunbathing while the city around me falls apart.

It’s now lunchtime and I have not heard shots in a while. Maybe things are calming down – or moving to another part of the city. One of the most frustrating things is not knowing what is going on. BBC runs at least 12 hours late, and there is no other source of real news in English.

Tomorrow will be the Eid holiday. That means all offices will be closed and once again I will have no reason to leave the hotel. At least I am having an opportunity to catch up on work which should make my homecoming easier.