Dr Negussu Legesse, director of Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Associations (CCDRA) and a former executive of the World Council of Churches (WCC), said that the the atrocities against innocent civilians and businesses in Oromia administrative region on June 29 & 30 are indicative of targeted attacks against Christians. In an interview he gave to MK TV on August 23, 2020, Dr Nigussu Legesse said that he visited some of the affected areas and victims with a delegation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, a committee of Elders for Peace and other associations. He said that the destruction he observed are horrifying and that he never thought he would see such atrocities in Ethiopia. He indicated that the victims included Christians of different ethnic identity and that the common trait of these victims was that they were all Christians.
Mr. Mekonnen Semu, an attorney in Addis Ababa, was also featured in the same interview and said that there are also people unjustly imprisoned simply because of their efforts to defend against these attacks and to pursue justice.
On June 29 and 30, following the death of Artist Hachalu Hundesa, Orthodox Christians in many parts of the Oromia administrative region were viciously attacked, and their homes and businesses were destroyed. Although the attack has been described as a spontaneous response to the killing of the artist, it has all the hallmarks of an act of Islamic extremists and the survivors certainly describe it that way.
Reflecting on his conversation with some of the victims, Dr. Negussu Legesse said that the Christians residents and those in shelter are still receiving threats to leave their birth place and not to return to their homes. The victims would like to return to their farms and start working on their fields, but are afraid to do so because there is no sign of guarantee for their safety by the federal government. Some victims also shared with Dr Legesse that their children are too traumatized to return back to their homes.
Attorney Mekonnen Semu said that temporary aid was delivered to the victims during their visit, but added that the government has the highest responsibility to keep the peace and security of its citizens. He also emphasized the people’s and specially parents’ responsibilities to protect their children from easily being victims of extreme radicalization.
Dr Legesse expressed some hope for the future due to certain measures the government is taking against alleged perpetrators of these crimes. He also mentioned that the associations that sent delegates to visit the victims established a technical team to study and propose reconstruction and restitution efforts. These efforts also include providing counsel for those traumatized by the terror they witnessed. Dr Legesse added that these efforts are also being undertaken by the organization he heads, CCRDA.
