In 2019 Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was seen as a forward-looking statesman, with a vision of peace and prosperity, and while some were surprised that by the award, others were hopeful that the 44-year-old leader would bring lasting stability to a troubled country.
By November of 2020 Ethiopia was careening toward civil war and there was confusion in the international community because media were restricted from entering the Tigray region where fighting was purported to be intense.
In recent days we've been hearing of massacres in Axum, a Christian pilgrimage city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians believe that the biblical Ark of the Covenant was brought to Axum from Jerusalem in ancient times and present day believers would have gathered there in late November to celebrate the anniversary. Leaders are reporting hundreds were killed at the Church of St. Mary of Zion and Christians continue to be persecuted. Since then thousands more have been murdered and bodies are lying in the streets.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has not been honest about what is unfolding in the region, and countries, including Canada, which have provided humanitarian aid to the millions in Ethiopia facing starvation are wondering what steps to take.
We can pray that our sisters and brothers in Christ will be protected in the crossfire of civil war and that lasting peace can be brokered.
City of Axum or Aksum in the North of Ethiopia
No comments:
Post a Comment