CHURCH
Seven detained Tigrinya nuns released in Ethiopia
Six Sisters of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent and an Ursuline nun were released by Ethiopian security forces on January 15 after over 40 days of detention. The situation in Ethiopia remains tense 14 months after the beginning of a war that has spread beyond the Tigray region where it started on 4 November 2020.
By Lisa Zengarini
Seven Catholic ethnic Tigrinya nuns arrested by Ethiopian security forces in November last year have been freed and are reportedly in good health conditions. Catholic Fides Agency, reported that Sisters Letemaryam Sibhat, Tiblets Teum, Abeba Tesfay, Zaid Moss, Abeba Hagos e Abeba Fitwi of the Congregation of Sisters of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and Ursuline Sister Abrehet Teserma were released on January 15.
Two deacons and two nuns still detained
The nuns had been abducted on November 30, in the context of the 14-month war over the Tigray region. The two Deacons arrested with them and two other nuns from Kobo, in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, are still detained along with thousands of ethnic Tigrinya, and even Eritrean refugees, suspected of supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Crackdown on suspects
In the crackdown against suspects a number of Catholic religious and lay people have also been arrested. On 5 November, a Salesian education center in the Ethiopian capital Addis Abeba was raided by military forces and 17 religious and lay people were taken away in a van. They were released on November 13 after been interrogated .
The war in Ethiopia
War erupted in Ethiopia on November 4, 2020, after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an offensive against the separatist Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) following an attack against federal military bases. Ahmed promised a swift victory, but the fighting has escalated into a widespread conflict involving ethnic-based militias as well as Eritrean armed forces, with reports of serious human rights violations on both sides.READ ALSO08/01/2022
Cardinal Souraphiel calls for peace and forgiveness in Ethiopia
Humanitarian crisis
The conflict eased slightly during the Christmas period, after TPLF declared a unilateral ceasefire and its withdrawal from the Amhara and Afar regions as a gesture of willingness to start negotiations. The situation, however, still remains tense, while the humanitarian crisis in Tigray continues to grow, with seven million people with no food, healthcare, medicines and electricity. Meanwhile the Nobel Committee has urged Prime Minister Abiy, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 2019, to commit to end the war.
Over 2 million people have been displaced as a result of the conflict and famine has been officially declared in the region.