By Joanna Selva Kumar
In the spring of 2021, an internal conflict emerged in Ethiopia. This caused displacement, looting, deaths of innocent civilians and protests within the country. Amid this cauldron of chaos, TMU students Zawadi Wachemo, Yedonai Awano and Yohannes Abebe found themselves ensnared by the war’s repercussions.
Ethiopia, located in East Africa, is known for its coffee, rich culture, national parks, food and history. It is home to more than 77 different ethnic groups with distinct languages. Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromo, Afar and Somali are all official languages.
Abebe lives in the capital city Addis Ababa. He is an alumnus of The Master’s Seminary. According to him, the conflict is between the government and the “rebel group.”
In Ethiopia, the tribe/party which wins the majority of the votes gets to elect the Prime Minister. The central part of the country is occupied by the tribe Oromo (region marked Oromiya in map). The current Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, is from this tribe.
Since the Oromo tribe is in power most of the higher positions (like the Prime Minister and other government officials) are filled by Oromo. It’s important to note that before the current Prime minister took power, the people from the Oromo tribe had suffered years of oppression at the hands of the other tribes that held power.
The Oromo is not a single entity. Within the tribe, several smaller tribes, or factions, exist. One such faction is the Shene tribe. The Shene started the conflict by looting people from other tribes. If their “needs” (money) weren’t met, they would kill civilians. The Shene believe they were fighting for the rights of the Oromo. As a result, increased massacres and looting of people continue as the government struggles to maintain control.
As Abebe stated, the conflict is between the government, which consists of the Shene group and the “rebel group” which is called Fano, another faction from the tribe Amhara (in the northern region as shown in the map). According to Abebe, the Fano group is fighting against the government – the Shene – not against the other tribes in Ethiopia. He asserts they are the good people, who kill the people from Shene who oppress and loot other tribes.
Abebe also mentioned that the brutal killings increased in the past five years, when the current Prime minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed took office (2018-2026).
This begs the question, did the current Prime Minister’s taking power elevate the problems in the country? According to Abebe, “the Prime Minister is a controversial leader, in a sense there are people who say he is a good leader, but also people who say he’s a bad leader, like a dictator.”
He’s not a corrupt leader and he’s won a Nobel Peace Prize (for the 2018 Asmara Peace Agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia). He has implemented many development projects, “…building roads, infrastructure, parks, reforms (in the judicial system and additional policies), improved finance system, tourism like national parks, museums and science centers,” said Abebe.
However, people in Ethiopia think, “Ever since he came to power, there have been lots of conflicts between the parties and tribes.”
Wachemo grew up in Addis Ababa. Her grandma lives in the southern part of Ethiopia.
“We can’t travel from Addis Ababa to visit her in her hometown, nor can we take her home because we don’t know what might happen on the road,” Wachemo said.
The lootings have instilled fear in the lives of many Ethiopians, including Abebe, who travels to different cities for work. Before travel, he hopes that the Lord will strengthen him and keep him safe, to provide for his family.
Awano lived in Ethiopia for about 12-13 years. His family lives far from the conflict area so they are not affected directly. But he wonders if the violence might spill over to where they live.
Despite the conflict, the believers in Ethiopia continue to pray for their leaders, including the Prime Minster.
“God would give him grace and wisdom to lead the country in the right direction and handle the conflict wisely and politically not just by force,” Abebe said.
Internal conflicts harm civilians the most, causing countless deaths and displacement.
“Pray for peace in Ethiopia. There are lots of people dying in the country. Lasting peace over conflicts,” Wachemo said.
In addition, the leaders of the church hope to share the gospel during these tough times. According to Abebe, “The church should focus on the mission. Pastors in training should be strengthened to serve.”
The TMU Mane 