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At least 500 Ethiopian Christians have been killed in relentless door-to-door attacks since June.
An Ethiopian Christian leader called for an international investigation into the murder of hundreds of Christians, including pregnant women, children and entire families, in the ongoing Oromo Muslim extremist attacks in parts of the regional state of Oromia, which stretches to the south, southeast and east of Addis Ababa, since the end of June. More than 500 reportedly died.
The coordinated killings, targeting Christians of a wide range of ethnicities, including Oromo Christians, began shortly after the alleged murder of a popular Oromo singer, Hachallu Hundessa, who was shot to death on June 29 while driving outside the city. capital.
The attackers belong to the Oromo ethnic group, which has traditionally been Muslim, and are members of the Qeerroo (meaning “single”), an Oromo men’s youth movement.
In door-to-door attacks on Christian homes, Qeerroo extremists arrived in cars and, armed with pistols, machetes, swords and spears, searched for and massacred Christians. The children were forced to witness the brutal murder of their parents with machetes.
Bernabé’s regional contacts confirmed attacks in numerous cities, including Arsi Negele, Ziway, Shashemane, Gedeb Asasa, Kofele, Dodola, Adaba, Robe, Goba, Bale Agarfa, Chiro, Harar, Dire Dawa, Adama, Dera, Asela and Kembolcha. reaching the extreme southeast and east of the country.
Some of the Qeerroo militants had lists of Christians and received help from local authorities, often led by Muslims in the Oromia region, to find individuals, particularly those who were actively involved in supporting the Church.
Oromo Christians were also attacked. An Oromo Christian was beheaded for refusing to deny his faith by tearing the thread around his neck (used by many Ethiopian Christians as a sign of his baptism). His widow told Barnabas: “The attackers said that only he / she prostrates with us before Allah to pray to one who is considered an Oromo.”
Local witnesses said the police stood by and watched the killings unfold. However, contacts reported that, in Bale Agarfa, some Christians were saved by the intervention of brave local Muslims who risked their own lives to protect them.
The commercial premises and houses of the Christians were burned, vandalized or destroyed by the extremists. Billions of dollars in property damage, including businesses owned by internationally renowned Christian athlete Haile Gebreselassie, were caused in the cities of Ziway and Shashamahe.
The severity of the atrocities shocked local witnesses who recounted heartbreaking scenes. In Dera, a witness described how the killers desecrated bodies “by dancing and singing, carrying the severed or severed body parts of the people they killed.” Another witness reported how the hacked bodies of an elderly Christian couple, who were beaten to death in their home, were dragged through the streets of Gedeb Asasa.
Thousands of traumatized survivors have fled for their lives, including orphaned children, and many are being accommodated in churches and community centers. A regional contact told Barnabas: “Many still live in fear. Christian leaders from all denominations visited the areas. I saw news in which priests and pastors physically cried while listening to the horrors of the families of the victims ”.
The Ethiopian government suspended the internet in the region for several weeks in an attempt to reduce incitement to violence through social media. Government security forces have been slow to intervene to stop the atrocity, which is compared to the surge in killings that led to the Rwandan genocide. However, thousands of arrests have been made since then, according to regional reports, including local officials implicated in the attacks.
As of August 27, Barnabas’ contacts say that “targeted genocide” of Christians by extremists continues in the south, southeast and east of Addis Ababa.
Noted Oromo media mogul Jawar Mohammed sparked unrest in Ethiopia in October 2019 when he criticized the government in tweets to his supporters. Violent protests broke out, resulting in 67 deaths. At the same time, two shepherds were beheaded in Sebeta, in the Oromia region, southeast of Addis Ababa. A Barnabas contact added that many churches were burned that year.
Since September 2018, violent ethnic clashes have caused some two million Ethiopians to become internally displaced.
From the Barnabas Fund contacts
Ethiopia
