http://www.africanews.com/2016/08/19/ethiopia-world-council-of-churches-call-for-dialogue-amid-tension/
Ethiopia: World Council of Churches calls for dialogue amid tension
Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban with WCC 19/08 - 10:57
Ethiopia
The World Council of Churches has joined calls for demonstrators,
security forces and the political establishment in Ethiopia to turn to
dialogue in addressing the issues that have created tension in the
country in the last few weeks.
According to a statement from the WCC, local church leaders report
that the situation in the country remains tense with continued clashes
between protesters and security forces.
“We appeal to law enforcement officers not to resort to excessive
force on unarmed civilians, and encourage protesters to look for open
dialogue,” the statement said.
We appeal to law enforcement officers not to resort to excessive force
on unarmed civilians, and encourage protesters to look for open
dialogue.
What are the reasons behind the violent protests?
Earlier this year, members of the country’s largest ethnic group, the
Oromo, took the the streets in violent demonstrations. The recent
protests were by the second biggest group, the Amhara, who were
largely protesting over governance issues.
Africanews’ correspondent in Ethiopia, Antoine Gilando, confirmed the
reasons for the protest on ‘The Morning Call’ program explaining
further that even with their ties to a relatively smaller population,
the ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had established a
hegemony at the helm of the political establishment.
READ MORE The boundary crisis behind Ethiopia’s protest
The casualty figures from the protests and social media
Reports indicate that over 100 protestors were killed in Oromia and
Amhara during the last two weeks alone during clashes between
demonstrators and security forces. The government has however disputed
the figure.
The ‘call to action’ was largely started on social media, the spread
of news on the protests were also spread via social media.
Subsequently access to platforms like Twitter and Facebook were
blocked by the government.
What the WCC had to say
“We mourn the lives of those who perished during these protests, and
regret the arrests and violence against protesters that have occurred
during the demonstrations in different areas of the country,” Peter
Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International
Affairs said.
The statement added that Catholic bishops of Ethiopia in an earlier
statement had called for calm.
“Our dear young children, we wish that you take over from us a
developed and peaceful Ethiopia, not a country that is full of unrest.
We urge you to remember that you have the duty and the right to take
over a country that is full of peace and hope for development so you
must work for this,” it concluded.
Received on Sat Aug 20 2016 - 09:18:21 EDT