Ethiopia's federal police said Monday recent riotings in the country's capital Addis Ababa and some other cities were "well-organized."

Investigations conducted on persons arrested by police following the riotings have enabled the authorities to confirm that "many of those who orchestrated and led the anti- constitutional street action were ex-soldiers and military officers in the previous Derg regime," said federal police commissioner Workineh Gebeyehu.

Workineh told journalists these people, in addition to their military skill, had the financial backing from the largest opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) to smuggle as well as prepare home-made explosives which they used during the recent riotings.

These people have also attempted to spread the violence to other regional towns, using local private media as well as the Amharic service of the Voice of America (VOA) and Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, which, according to the police commissioner, "operate under the full control by the opposition party."

"After security forces have managed to foil the attempted insurrection in collaboration with the public, the stubborn government in Eritrea had mobilized members of the rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) to incite violence in some parts of southern Ethiopia's Oromia state," he said.

Although the OLF, "with backing and guidance from the Eritrean government," had attempted to instigate violence in Ambo town, some 200 km west of Addis Ababa, the attempt has successfully been "put under control" with the joint efforts of the Ethiopian government and the public, said Workineh.

He expressed deep sympathy over the death of citizens as a result of the riotings, as well as those police members who lost their lives.

Police have been investigating the cases of several of the suspects who were arrested for active involvement in the CUD- instigated violence, and those suspects are held in custody at the southern Zeway prison and the western Dedesa military camp, said Workineh.

During the street violence two weeks ago, in which police clashed with CUD supporters, at least 46 people died. Between Friday and Saturday police released 4,138 people, but many were believed still in custody.

The violence began Nov. 1 amid protests over a disputed May 15 parliamentary elections.

CUD has been boycotting the lower House of People's Representatives (HPR), saying it wants a solution to the contested results of the parliamentary elections.

The final election results indicate that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Party (EPRDF), which has ruled the country for the past 14 years, has won 327 seats of the 547- seat HPR, enough to form the federal government.

CUD and another opposition party, the United Ethiopian Democratic Force (UEDF), were in second and third places with 109 and 52 seats respectively.

The two opposition parties accuse the ruling party of massive electoral fraud.

Source: Xinhua