The ruthless carnages were believed to have been ordered personally by Meles Zenawi who has put the Army and the Federal Police under his command during the election in a bid to quell popular uprising.

In a statement it issued on state media today, the TPLF-led government blamed the opposition particularly the Coalition for Unity and Democracy for the unrest. It warned that it would severely punish opposition leaders for instigating “violence and anarchy.”

Addis Ababa was at a standstill earlier as workers went on strike in protest against the clampdown on peaceful protesters. It turned out that residents of the capital took the action on their own initiatives defying a government warning read on TV and radio last night that declared such a measure illegal and unacceptable.

The main opposition, Coalition for Unity and Democracy, has distanced itself from any of the protests. Dr Berhanu Nega, vice-chairman of the CUD, told VOA that his party had nothing to do with either the student protests or the call for a general strike. Dr Birhanu had called on the public to be calm and patient as CUD was contemplating well-concerted peaceful protests across the nation.

Leaflets were distributed yesterday by members of the public calling for a general strike to protest against the suppressive measures being taken by the TPLF-led government. The Police Commission, which has been put under the direct command of Meles Zenewi, said in a statement it released last night to the state owned media that seven people were “caught red-handed while distributing leaflets.” Though distributing leaflets is not illegal, the statement noted that six drivers who distributed leaflets were arrested and their cars impounded.

Taxis stayed off the streets prompting a general strike. Some state owned buses, which were operating early in the morning, were forced out of operation as students and protesters threw rocks at them.

Despite the imposition of a month-long ban on demonstrations by Meles Zenawi, protests and uprising have been spreading across the nation like a wildfire. Hundreds of students who joined protests at Debub, Alemaya and Jimma Universities have been beaten and rounded up by paramilitary police.

In an unprecedented move to stop the public from getting independent information on current developments, the Minister of Information, Bereket Semeon, revoked the press credentials of VOA stringers, Helen Mohammed of the Amharic service, Bereket Tekelu of the Tigringa service, and Temam Aman of the Afan Oromoo service. Deutsche Welle reporters Tadesse Engidaw, Asselefech Yiberta and Getachew Tadla have also been banned from working as reporters in Ethiopia.

Some residents of Addis told this reporter by phone that the situation was getting more and more volatile as a Meles loyalist special force, Agazi division, has been deployed throughout the city to quell peaceful protests.