ADDIS ABABA– The African Union (AU) issued statements on Sunday condemning bomb attacks that occurred in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe on Saturday.

In a press statement, the Chairperson of the Commission of AU, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said he learned with shock and dismay the attack that took place in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa on Saturday at a rally held in support of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s reform agenda and efforts.

The Ethiopia Ministry of Health said the bomb attack left two people dead and 156 others injured.

"I condemn this cowardly attack that can’t be justified under any circumstance. The AU expresses solidarity with the Ethiopian people and government, as well as with the victims of this criminal act,” said Mahamat’s statement.

In a separate statement, the chairperson said his organization strongly condemns the "cowardly bomb attack” that took place on Saturday during a campaign rally in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, attended by President Emerson Mnangagwa.

The bomb attack that the Zimbabwean president has called an assassination attempt has injured 49 people including Zimbabwe’s vice-president Kembo Mohadi.

The statement reiterated the call for a successful presidential, parliamentary and local elections scheduled for July 30 in Zimbabwe.

AU has already deployed a five-person independent electoral assessment mission in Zimbabwe, as the country gears up for the July 30 elections to provide technical support to the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC).

Xinhua