Borkena
Toronto – Ethiopian government soldiers reportedly executed an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church religious leader and five of his students in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Four others were wounded and taken to the hospital with life-threatening conditions.
The Ethiopian Media Service (EMS) reported that the tragic incident occurred on Thursday night in Waja Timuga, Raya Alamata district of North Wollo, in the Amhara region.
The priest has been identified as Merigeta Gebremedhin, who was also blind. He had served for over 40 years as a religious teacher.
According to sources, soldiers entered the premises of Kidanemihiret Church in Timuga district and opened fire, killing the priest and five others.
Five of the victims reportedly died on the scene, while one died later in the hospital.
Sources, including local ones, reported that there was no active fighting in the area between Fano forces and government forces at the time.
There are two narratives as to why the priest and his students were killed. EMS cited residents from the area who reported that Ethiopian government soldiers accused the priest of preparing a magic “medicine for Fano forces that would help them evade bullet hits.”
Other local sources attribute the killings to “misleading information” that Ethiopian government forces received regarding the presence of Fano forces in the church. There was information circulating on social media from certain activist groups,suggesting that Fano forces were operating in the area.
However, it has been confirmed that the priest, who was also a religious teacher, was visibly blind and could not be linked to Fano combat activities.
Those who were wounded and taken to the hospital were deacons, according to the source.
Ethiopian government soldiers have extensively practiced – according to reports from reputable human rights organizations – extrajudicial executions in many areas of the Amhara region of Ethiopia since the “law enforcement operation” started in August 2023. The Ethiopian Defense Force has denied that its forces are involved in the killings of civilians.
There have also been what appear to be targeted and recurring killings of Ethiopian Orthodox Church scholars in the Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia. The Church has reported numerous orchestrated attacks on churches, its followers, and priests in many parts of the country.
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