Catholics in Ethiopia have continued to pray for peace in their country, as the national army and Tigrayan forces readied for the battle of Mekelle, the capital of the semi-autonomous region.
With the fighting intensifying, Cardinal Berhaneyesus Souraphiel, the Addis Ababa archbishop stressed the importance of witnessing brothers at a time when the country was “under stress”.
Addressing officials of the Ethiopian Catholic Church Apostolic Commission, the cardinal reminded them that the church stood with them in all areas. The Diocese of Adigrat in Mekelle city could not attend.
Tigray, a region in the north of Africa’s second most populous nation has been in conflict since 4 November. It started when the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) over an alleged attack on a military base in Mekelle and seizing of weapons. Debretsion Gebremichael, the TPLF leader has vowed to defend his region.
Tensions between Tigray and the national government had been rising since 2018, when Ahmed became the Prime Minister. It peaked in September when Gebremichael defied Ahmed to hold an election, which had been postponed over COVID-19.
Agencies say hundreds have been killed, with thousands of refugees fleeing across the border into Eastern Sudan. By Sunday, the numbers had reached 33,000, according to the UNHCR. Nearly half of them are children under 18 years, according to UNICEF. Agencies said they were preparing to accommodate about 200,000 Ethiopia refugees.
On November 20, the Ethiopia military accused the World Health Organisation head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of siding with TPLF and helping the region procure arms. Army chief of staff Birhanu Jula said in a televised statement that Ghebreyesus himself was a member of TPLF.
Ghebreyesus, a Tigrayan has denied the allegations and called on all parties to work for peace and ensure the safety of civilians and access to health care and humanitarian assistance.
Loading ...
