Soldiers in Eritrea laid siege to the information ministry on Monday, forcing the head of state television to make an announcement calling for the release of political prisoners, Reuters reports.
There was no immediate indication it was an attempt to overthrow the government of Eritrea, which has been led by Isaias Afewerki, 66, for some two decades since it broke away from bigger neighbor Ethiopia.
The renegade soldiers forced the director of state television to make an announcement, the Eritrean intelligence official said…
The United Nations last year estimated that 5,000-10,000 political prisoners were being held in the secretive Horn of Africa country, which is accused by human rights groups of carrying out torture and summary executions.
