Followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Tewahedo Church (EOTC) Monday told Mereja.com that security forces have attacked faithful who were going to churches for prayer, wearing black clothes.
Abiding by the order of the Holy Synod of EOTC, faithful have begun observing the three days of Fast of Nineveh from Monday 06 to Wednesday 08 February, by wearing black to protest against what the Synod said is a government supported coup attempt to overthrow the Holy Synod by the “illegal group.”
The faithful said they were denied entry to a church at a place called Fidi Doro area in Kolfe Keranio sub city of Addis Ababa. “The security personnel attacked us with sticks and prohibited us from entering into the church,” the faithful told Mereja.com in a telephone interview.
Faithful in Adama city, seat of the Oromia regional state, said hundreds of worshippers have been arrested just for wearing black clothes. Similar attacks were committed against followers of the EOTC in Debrezeit city of the Oromia region and JigJiga city, capital of the Somali Regional State, the faithful have said.
Some faithful who work in government institutions were repordely denied entry into their offices for wearing black clothes.
Reports said 35 people were killed in clashes between security personnel and the faithful after the dispute erupted following the establishment of’illegal’ Synod for the Oromia Regional State.
His Holiness Abune Petros, Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, claimed in an interview with a YouTube based Media that the number of casualities has reached 30.
In a statement on 05 February, the federal government urged an amicable solution for the dispute between the leadership of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church through internal channels.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church opposed the statement saying it ignores the facts and sees the Holy Synod of EOTC and the breakaway Archbishops as “parallel”.
