Senior diplomat denies there was attempted coup in Eritrea, describes such reports as wishful

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – A senior Eritrean diplomat denies there was an attempted coup early this week in the Horn of Africa nation and says reports to the contrary are a deliberate disinformation campaign.

Girma Asmerom, Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union, said in a statement Saturday that coup reports were "wishful thinking" by people he did not name.

Without explaining the incidents on Monday, Asmerom wrote of "terrorist acts" being called an attempted coup.

But activists and experts said about 100 dissident soldiers stormed the state broadcasting at Ministry of Information in the capital, Asmara, and read a statement vowing to free all political prisoners and implement country's constitution.

Eritrean President Isaias Afworki took power when the country broke away from Ethiopia in 1991. His regime is seen by rights groups as repressive.