Eritrean troops besiege mutineers in Asmara: diplomats

Eritrean army tanks besieged the information ministry in central Asmara on Monday after some 200 mutineers seized the building to call for political reform, diplomatic and diaspora sources said Monday.

No shots had been fired and the rest of the city appeared calm, the diplomats added, although very few details were immediately available.

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 neighbour Ethiopia.

The renegade soldiers forced the director of state television to make an announcement, the Eritrean intelligence official said.

[link to english.alarabiya.net]