ADDIS ABABA – Nine top leaders of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) will appear in court after a government prosecutor charged them with inciting “insurrection” and trying to overthrow the government by force, the pro-government Nation newspaper has reported.

The Ministry of Justice accused the CUD leadership of stirring unrest among university students, and distributing subversive leaflets in a bid to bring about a change of government by force, an opposition radio Tensae quoted the Nation as saying. Among those who face the charges are CUD President Hailu Shawel, and CUD executive officials Lidetu Ayalew, Mushe Semu, Abayneh Birhanu, Gebre Christos Haile Selassie, Admassie Melaku, Getachew Mengste, Gizachew Shiferaw, Endargachew Tsige.

CUD has repteadely denied any involvement in the student arrests, and the public takes the government measures as a “cover-up” to liquidate the oppostion.

Seven university students also face similar charges as accomplices of the opposition.

Political observers take the charges seriously, saying the ruling party was bent on reversing the Ethiopian people’s drive toward a democratic governance.

Meanwhile, the ruling party of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi this week sent 160 professionals of the Ethiopian Air Force into “retirement.” According to the opposition Radio Tensae, 80 of those who lost their jobs were highly experienced employees of the Aviation Maintenance Department.

The Ethiopian Air Force has recently been hit by a series of pilot defections over the June 8 killings of unarmed demonstrators and the arrest of thousands of opposition supporters and university students.

Latest reports indicate that the Meles regime, which committed the June 8 killings by deploying a shadowy commando force composed mainly of Eritrean Military Camp Sawa-trained soldiers (despite the deliberate labeling of the unit as ‘Agazi’ to mislead the public that the unit was drawn from the now-defunct Tigray People’s Liberation Front) was setting up check-points along the major Addis-Bahr Dar-Gondar route.

Charging the CUD officials, and the mass retirement orders at the Air Force as well as erecting check-points in many key parts of the country shows the 14-year-old Meles regime had exhausted prolonging its life through the semblance of democracy was now nakedly resorting to hold the nation down by means of the gun.

“It is very clear what all these measures being taken swiftly following the ruling party’s defeat in the May elections are aimed at,” one observer said, “adding Ethiopia risks an uncertain future.”