Dessie, Ethiopia (BBC) — Ethiopian Woyanne police have shot and killed two people who were helping to build a Christian church at a site which is also claimed by Muslims, officials say.
Violence broke out when police tried to stop the construction in Dessie, 250km (155 miles) north-east of Addis Ababa.
The police say they were responding to an attack on them by the Christians, but campaign groups say the police ambushed the workers.
The population of Dessie is about two-thirds Christian, one-third Muslim.
Information Minister Woyanne propaganda chief Bereket Simon told reporters that the Christians had “stormed the place” and tried to continue building the church “unlawfully”.
“Unfortunately three lives have been claimed. Two of them were killed by bullets, one of them fell off a cliff,” he said.
Several other people were also hurt in the violence.
15 thoughts on “Woyanne police gun down 2 Ethiopians at a church site”
This is the beginning of the end of the tribal junta in Addis! Ethnic/Religion war is eminent in the woyane-led Ethiopia, something Ethiopians have never experienced before. what else is new?
I am very saddened to hear this terrible news. We Ethiopians should try to crush the Woyane in Unity. Any attempt to create bitterment in the heart of people be it along ethnic or religious lines does hasten the down fall of Woyane. We must be careful especially when this is mixed with lies.
It hurts to know the death of any Ethiopian regardless of who he/she is. To explain the crime perpetrated by TPLF we do not need to lie. The lie can work against us because that may show who we are and alienate all who deplore lies and who especially are directly touched by the lie. Why do we need to reverse the proportion of Muslims to Christians?. Desse is dominantly a Muslim town by all accounts. We do not need to deny the fact to show another fact, unless what we say about the killing itself is a lie.
dessie is 405 km north east of addis abeba
This is the last and worst incidence that country wants. Religious strife based on dogmas and hatred for other religions or creeds should not be tolerated and stamped out at its budding stage. The Muslims claim the site to be theirs and the matter should be contested in court just as it was done in the times of the Emperor. The majority should respect the right of the minority be it religion or ethnicity. The Muslims in Wello, even though they are minority there, but they are numerous. They are also one of the most peace-loving people in the world who are very proud to be Ethiopians. They are the kindest people I ever met. Their claims should be respected and have a day in court. They had forgiven their Christian countrymen for the way they were treated during the reign of Emperor John V. A lot of them had fought fascism during the Italian occupation alongside their Christian brothers and sisters. They are very dear national treasures. Extremism against them should be dealt firmly and expeditiously. But in the meantime, it is sad to see the conflict is being exploited by these goons they hate to see around. Very, very sad indeed!!!!!!
It will be payed back with time. Don´t worry, this is parts of our character !
These are the last gasps of a dying regieme. Instigating ethnic conflict among Ethiopians failed. So now they turn to Religion. Who would now deny that Woayne is the worst, anti-Ethiopian government in history? I know Dessie and all other 12 districts (Awrajas-during Derg and the Emperor’s time) including the densely popualted districts of “Saient”, “Ambassel, “Lasta-Lalibela” Delanta “Tenta-Mekdela” and Yeju”. Although the Christian poulation is overall higher than Muslims, the people have lived in peace and harmony for many many years. The respect and tolerance they show to each other is simply astounding. Christians and Muslims celebrate New Year day (Enkutatash!)and many holiday parties together. It is like Addis Ababa, “Jan Meda” “Timket” celbreation everywhere, where Muslim brothers and sisters from “Merkato” and other areas come and celebrtae “Timket” with their Christian brothers and sisters. We Ethiopians may be poor but, we have a civlized and tolerant culture that we can teach to the world.
Woyane the mis-fit, the UNEthiopian and the parasite sucker will one day go, and we shall continue to live in peace!
I know it is not a good thing to say it, but I could not stand it lokiing at this disguisting face.
Get rid off those sick ass extremist both Christians and muslims. Even though I am a well disciplined orthodox tewahdo follower, I have no tolerance for religious conflicts that create havoc. There is only good and bad. It doesn’t matter from which religion, if a person is good they will manage to be peaceful. If the person is bad u can put him in any religion and they would still create havoc. Are people given or thought the right kind of religious knowledge. God knows.and I am sorry for those rascals who disturb society.
Ethiopians lived for centuries in tolerance and we loved each other. Why is it now escalating to the point of eliminating each other? why does this not happen in mekele or other tigrai region?why the police shoot to kill un armed people? This shows the true colour of colonial woyane bent on dividing through all forms of hate.
The killing is to give way to more atrrocity in the community. It will be easy to dominate a devided nation.
DOWN WITH WOYANE!!!
Christ’s soldiers and Mohammad’s army in a great collision in the land of Christianity
The relationship between the Ethiopian Christians and the Ethiopian Muslims is getting sour nearly everyday. The days the followers of the two great religions used to live side by side peacefully and respecting each other are almost over, thanks to the Wahabbi sects from Saudi Arabia that have spread their Islamic influences covertly and now openly all over the Ethiopian Christian Kingdoms. What happens in Dessie, Wollo, is the result of these Islamist extremists, and this incident is not an isolated one; it has been going on in some other regions of Ethiopia.
In the provinces of Jimma and Jijiga it is almost impossible for the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians to conduct a prayer service in their Churches without being dragged out from their Churches by the Muslim extremists and finally killed outside and inside their Churches.
On July 20, 2006, Muslim extremists brutally attacked more than fifty Christians in the Oromia region, and this barbaric attack was orchestrated mainly by the Muslim leaders of that region where the majority of the people are Muslims.
On Friday, December 1, 2006 a Muslim mob about three hundred beat up six unarmed Christians and killed them in a day light.
On 14 October, 2006, equipped with guns and knives, Muslim extremists, about three hundred of them, surrounded the Ethiopian Orthodox Church where unarmed members of this Orthodox Church were holding a midnight service (saatat). On this attack alone, six innocent Ethiopian Christians lost their lives, and fifteen others were badly hurt. Later on, opposing to the celebration of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Christian Meskel, the Jimma Muslims vehemently attacked the Orthodox Christian Church, and nothing was done by the Jimma Muslim authorities about such atrocities against the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and against other Christian denominations.
In this Muslim dominated region, Jimma, two thousand Christians were displaced, their houses and Churches were burned down to the ground, and such atrocities the Ethiopian Muslims have been committing in Ethiopia are unprecedented in the modern history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Such egregious atrocities against the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians by the indigenous Ethiopian Muslims could have never happened if the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church had a Patriarch zealous for his Church; unfortunately, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church does not have an ardent Patriarch who cares for the millions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church members, and instead of unveiling such horrors committed by the Ethiopian Muslims against his Church, Aba Paulos went to Rome to unveil the seal of the holy Ark of the Covenant. Why didn’t he discuss with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI the problem the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church is facing with its Ethiopian Muslims financed by the Saudis’ kingdom to destroy the Ethiopian Church?
No doubt in my mind, the tolerant attitudes of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church have given the Ethiopian Muslims enough time, almost two thousand years, to galvanize other Muslims to destroy the Christian Churches and prohibit them from worshipping God freely in their own country.
Right now, Ethiopia is encircled by extremist Islamists, and there is no way out of this encirclement except by the merciful act of God. The Horn countries, such as Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and, to some extent, Eritrea have become the hosts of Jihadists and Islamists, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has become the main target of these Ethiopian Jihadists and Islamists for a direct attack; at this difficult situations, we may call our old friends, the Portuguese, to help us before we surrender to the Jihadists, ruthless killers and destroyers of Churches.
After we have witnessed the destructions of our Ethiopian Orthodox Churches, the burning of our Christians’ properties, and the many loses of Christian lives, we cannot trust the Ethiopian Muslims any more; they have breached Mohammad’s word: never attack Ethiopian Christians.
The Muslims in Somalia have already declared Jihad to invade Ethiopia and they are preparing to attack us at any time.
The Ethiopian Muslims have been great obstacles to us since the times of Emperors Tewodros II and Johannes IV from spreading Christianity throughout Ethiopia and especially to the people of Wollo, and that is why Emperor Tewodros traveled to Wollo many times to be sure the Wollo Muslims could not conspire against his reform to unite the country and to spread Christianity.
Emperor Johannes who urged the Wollo Muslims to receive baptism had the same idea as his predecessor Emperor Tewodros to unify Ethiopia under one religion – Christianity.
These great Ethiopian Emperors knew ahead of time what the Ethiopian Muslims would do to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church when their number and fortunes exceed the number and the fortunes of the Ethiopian Christians.
Therefore, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church must galvanize all the Ethiopian Christians to have a Boru Meda-like Synod immediately in Addis Ababa, and this Synod must give the Ethiopian Muslims two choices, not three, not four, and these two choices are: stop burning the Ethiopian Churches and killing its members on daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis or leave the country within a year.
don’t be surprised with what weyane agazi chief meles is capable of doing – mass killer and blood thirsty dictator and his gang are standing on a cliff trying to survive they will do anything killing is just like shaking hands for them – they are out to destroy the nation – we should all stand guard – moslems and chirstians had lived in peace and intermarry in dessie and look what meles and his bandas are creating – gang of fanatic moslems and christian cadres are trained by the meles gang to create conflicts where ever the two communities living in peace the same with his tribal game
My whole body quivers and trembles when I read the comment by Assta B. Gettu above. It revealed to me that there is anger to the extreme in parts the Orthodox community as well. Yes that was true that both Emperors Tewodros and Yohannes V tried to unify the country what we know as Ethiopia. But both these two emperors had committed very serious crimes that can be justifiably described as crimes against humanity. They had maimed human limbs, gauged out peoples eyes, cut out human tongues and summarily massacred the inhabitants of entire villages. Read what Tewodros did to the Shewans and what Yohannes did to the people of Gojjam and Wello. When these two died, most people rejoiced knowing the scourge is gone for good. But in the meantime, they were acknowledged for trying to create a united nation under one central government. The wounds they caused were healed under the reign of Menelik. I know some of you stinking narrow nationalists harbored in Minnesota cringe when you noticed that I praised Menelik. Go ahead!!! We will bury you and your children will come out to be proud Ethiopians. But you should not try to wiggle with history that Menelik negotiated a truce with the Oromo Kingdom of Aba Jifar and that kingdom peacefully joined the union. The wound that was caused by Yohannes in Wello was successfully healed by Menelik. They should not be pushed too far to drive them into the camps of Al Shabbab and that ‘Iyale-Souk’/Bila Adub’ Bin Laden.
Here we go again blaming the victim instead of the criminal.The main perpeturator of the religious and ethnic strife in Ethiopia is the wrong policy of the weyane”s crime syndicate.Weyane to stay in power have to please every one who confronts him in organized manner or bribes him in dollars.Weyane is as a prostitute that performs better for the customer that pays more(most cause for prostitution is poverty).Ethiopian christians and moslems have lived for many years peacefully.Weyane by being a servant of the Bush administration and in general of U.S.A have antogonized the whole muslim community of the great horn.Ethiopians has to focus on the main enemy weyane and get rid weyane so that the countries integrity will be preserved.
My dear Gabra,
Yes, when the truth is told in its entirety, its adversaries teeter and convulse, and, in this case, what makes you frightened and trembled is the destructions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Churches in the Oromia regions and in some other Ethiopian provinces by the extremist Ethiopian Islamists, not necessarily the alleged crimes the two great Ethiopian Emperors, Tewodros II and Yohannes IV had committed; you were not there when they committed such crimes you capriciously have listed; however, you are here when these barbaric Ethiopian Muslims commit these heinous crimes against the Ethiopian Christians, and the Muslim authorities let them go free without any sort of accountability.
Thanks to the great work and sincere dedications of Tewodros II and Yohannes IV, you are now enjoying life under a united Christian Kingdom; without them, there would be no Ethiopia.
When you say people living in Minnesota are “stinking narrow nationalists,” you are talking nonsense because there is nothing wrong to be a nationalist. For example, Mao Zedong, Jomo Kenyatta, Winston Churchill, Mengistu Haile Mariam, and many other leaders were nationalists.
You have done such a great job! For that regard may god bless everyone who went to confront the weyane criminals, and whom tried to go but could not make it by various reasons.
This was entirly a great job by Londoners! wooo. I am so gald that brave ethiopians of udj and g7 supporters confronted these idiot, racist and blind supporters of weyane. Not only members of TPLF, but also HODAM cadres of TPLF who are servants of TPLF were also appreared at the weyane controlled Ethiopian Embassy.
Ethiopians should contine taking pictures of weyane around our area and confront them on similar occasions. Since this is equivalent to win a victory over weyane in battle areas.
continue to confront criminal members of weyane, however,
at the same time it was so amazing that EPRP/AEUP supporters have been condeming this act against weyane last night on paltalk “ethiopian in diaspora discussion forum” of course this is room is always full by undercover weyane cadres whom are pretending as if they are oppostions, and some EPRP leftover individuals whom are supporting both EPRP/AEUP at a time. As a result even more ethiopians would be able to know the stand of EPRP/AEUP easily.
Bravo London UDJ and G7 supporters! God bless you all!