While enjoying a relative peace following the resolution of the Tigray dispute, Ethiopia today finds itself on the verge of yet another conflict, this time due to the demolition of mosques.
The area in question, where most of the mosques are situated, is on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, the capital city. Setting a goal of demolishing at least 400,000 homes in the future, the Ethiopian government has already destroyed close to 110,000 and has declared that it will keep doing so.
It’s interesting to note that these homes pay their water and electricity bills to the state. Mosques are no exception to this construction activity: there are over 300 “illegal” mosques and the Mejlis has been unable to legalize them due to bureaucratic restrictions. At the same time, other religious institutions like churches have been legalized without any difficulty, accounting for the disparity.
Some claim that the government’s targeting of mosques gives the impression that a significant portion of the demolishment is motivated by Islamophobic sentiment. There are also allegations that this initiative is part of a plan to alter the area’s demographics as most current residents are not Oromos. However, as the new urbanization process unfolded, the Muslim population expressed dissatisfaction with the approach, leading to tensions.
Muslims asserted that among all the places of worship, mosques were being targeted more severely by the government. Although the Mejlis stated that it was attempting to deliberate with the government to stop the ongoing demolitions, the Ethiopian government was unwilling to engage in any form of dialogue.
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Hence, Muslims became enraged and decided to stage peaceful protest on May 26 after the Friday prayer at the Grand Anwar Mosque in Addis Ababa. The protest’s organizers remain unknown. On 26 May, security forces fired live bullets during a demonstration at the Grand Anwar Mosque after Friday prayers, reportedly killing two people and injuring an unknown number of protesters.
Last week, on 2 June, Muslims gathered after Friday prayers at the Grand Anwar Mosque in Merkato in Addis Ababa as well as in Robe, Shashemene, and Jimma towns in Oromia region, and Harar town in Harari region to condemn the demolition of mosques by the government in the newly established Sheger city in Oromia region. The protesters also condemned the killing of Muslim protesters by government forces in the previous week.
Mosque demolitions in Ethiopia and ongoing protests awareness
Last week, in Addis Ababa and Jimma, government forces used force to disperse the protestors, resulting in casualties. In Addis Ababa, government forces - republican guards, federal police, and Addis Ababa city police - surrounded the Grand Anwar Mosque compound, blocked the gate, fired tear gas and live bullets at the crowd, and reportedly killed at least three and injured an unknown number of protesters. Some reports indicate that eight people were killed due to the security forces’ excessive use of force.
Several Muslim worshippers were trapped in the mosque until the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council negotiated with the Federal Police Commission to allow those injured to get treatment and others to go home safely in the evening. According to Addis Ababa Police Commission, around 63 police officers were also injured.
Similarly, members of the federal police force and Oromia regional state police beat protesters and fired tear gas and bullets in Jimma town. Two people were injured, and hundreds were arrested. Discontent over the demolition of houses and mosques in the newly established Sheger city has been rising in the capital, Addis Ababa.
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Map of Ethiopia showing the regions mentioned in the article.
Even though there were no organized protests on the following week, there were reports of government security officers allegedly acting aggressively again and employing excessive force against individuals calmly leaving the mosque after praying. The government’s actions raise ethical concerns.
Nevertheless, following a subsequent discussion, the Ethiopian government and the Mejlis released a statement last week stating that they have a plan in place for mosques and churches that will satisfy the needs of the various religious groups. The timing and way this decision came about raises the question of why it was not announced from the very beginning.
Another question is why they attacked and retaliated violently against defenseless and unarmed individuals who were expressing anger and frustration. On the other hand, given the delicateness of the subject, the Muslim community’s expression of exasperation was expected.
Despite the Mejlis’ efforts to resolve the issue through the formation of a committee and discussions with the Ethiopian government, the government’s unwillingness to engage in any dialogue and its failure to keep its promises have given the impression that the Mejlis is not doing enough to help mitigate the crisis.
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Meanwhile the Mejlis has offered some explanations and justification for the lack of a prompt response, which they stated is due to the presence of other government opposition parties looking to exploit this conflict. Muslims’ unhappiness wasn’t just about the demolished mosques-it also originated from the abrupt displacement they experienced without any alternatives or any relocation plan provided by the Ethiopian government.
The Ethiopian government should treat people as human beings; its actions and responses should be proportionate to the gravity of the problem at hand. Considering recent events, it is clear that people only want their demands met and are not against peaceful resolutions. In the end, the government made an encouraging promise which came as a relief to many.
The Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs of the Oromia Regional State said 19 mosques were illegally demolished in Shaggar City.
Akemel Negash is a journalist and senior editor for local news outlet Amba Digital, which was the first media organisation to cover the mosque’s destruction prior to the release of the pictures. “There was a concentrated effort by the preservation authority to cover up the mosque’s destruction for weeks,” he explained.
“The destruction of Aksum Airport by Tigrayan rebel forces was given immediate airtime on state media. But when the government’s allied forces destroy something as prominent as one of Islam’s most cherished heritage sites, they keep it hushed until citizen journalists exposed it.
In late November, rumours began to surface on social media of fighting in Wukro, more than 800km north of the Ethiopian capital. Images showed the mosque’s minaret destroyed, its dome partially collapsed and its facade in ruins.
Siraj said, “It left me devastated. There's no precedent for this. In that time, there have been all sorts of tyrants in Ethiopia, including some who targeted Muslims for oppression.
Mitchell noted that in the early history of Islam, some of the first Muslims migrated from Arabia to what is now Ethiopia due to religious persecution in Mecca. They were granted refuge by that nation’s leader.
Jebel said, “Twelve men and four women took heed of the prophet’s advice and made the pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Aksum. In Islam, the mosque has a renowned rich history of justice and tolerance, as King Nejashi rejected bribes from the Quraysh to turn in his guests who had fled their homelands seeking freedom.”
“Repairs won’t bring them back.
The inter-religious clashes first reported in Gondar city, in the northern Amhara region on 26 April, reportedly in connection with a land dispute, appear to have quickly spread to towns and cities in multiple other regions, and to the capital Addis Ababa. I understand two mosques were burnt and another two partially destroyed in Gondar.
In the apparent retaliatory attacks that followed, two Orthodox Christian men were reportedly burnt to death, another man hacked to death, and five churches burnt down in Silt’e Zone, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region, located in the southwest of the country. I call on the Ethiopian authorities to promptly initiate and conduct thorough, independent and transparent investigations into each of these deadly incidents and ensure that those found to be responsible are held to account. Individual accountability of perpetrators is essential to prevent further violence.
In Amhara region, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) engaged in clashes with an unidentified armed group from 26 to 30 May in the Debre Elias Bihere Betsuan Melka Silase Andent Monastery in Degolma kebele in Debre Elias woreda, East Gojam zone. The government referred to the group as Amhara Popular Front, while some witnesses identified it as a group that identifies itself as the “light of the world.”
Casualty estimates vary widely across different sources. According to these estimates, at least 200 members of the ENDF were injured, and 10 others were killed during the clashes. Moreover, last week, two grenade events were recorded in the region.
On 30 May, an unidentified group threw a grenade at a conference center where a meeting involving zonal, woreda, and kebele level Prosperity Party administrators was being held in Ajbar town in Sayint woreda, South Wello zone. There were no casualties, although damage to the conference center was reported. The next day, an unidentified group threw a grenade and injured six members of security forces who were on duty, including five local militia members, in Woldiya town in North Wello zone. Following the attack, gunfire was heard in the town. However, as of the time of writing, it is unclear who was involved in the gunfire.
In Oromia region, armed clashes and violence against civilians continued last week. The ENDF and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)-Shane clashed in Bada Tinno and Ereri Kelo kebeles in Abuna Ginde Beret woreda, and in Shikute in Jeldu woreda, in West Shewa zone, as well as in Mude in Dodota woreda in Arsi zone.
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