UN decries ‘shocking’ Christian-Muslim clashes in Ethiopia

The UN human rights director expressed concern on Saturday over recent violent conflicts in Ethiopia between Muslims and Orthodox Christians, calling on authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible.

Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she was “very disturbed” by the violence that erupted in northern Ethiopia late last month, killing at least 30 people and injuring over 100 others.

On April 26, violence broke out in Gondar, Amhara, reportedly over a land dispute, before fast spreading to neighbouring regions and the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, she claimed.

The Islamic Affairs Council of Amhara said the funeral of a Muslim elder had been attacked, describing the scene as a “massacre” by heavily armed “extremist Christians”.

The cemetery where the attack occurred neighbours a mosque and church and has been the subject of an ongoing dispute between Muslims and Orthodox Christians, who are the dominant group in Ethiopia.

“I understand two mosques were burnt and another two partially destroyed in Gondar,” Bachelet said in her statement.

“In the apparent retaliatory attacks that followed, two Orthodox Christian men were reportedly burnt to death, another man hacked to death, and five churches burnt down” in the southwest of the country, she said, adding that other regions had since seen clashes.

In all, police had reportedly arrested and detained at least 578 people in at least four cities in connection with the clashes, she said.

“I call on the Ethiopian authorities to promptly initiate and conduct thorough, independent and transparent investigations into each of these deadly incidents,” Bachelet said.

Authorities should strive to “ensure that those found to be responsible are held to account,” she said, stressing that “individual accountability of perpetrators is essential to prevent further violence.”

At the same time, “those arrested must be fully accorded their due process and fair trial rights in accordance with international human rights law, without discrimination.”

In Ethiopia, where Muslims make up almost a third of the population, the UN rights director also called for broader action to bring communities together.

“To prevent further inter-religious violence, it is crucial that the underlying causes of this shocking violence are promptly addressed,” she said, urging “meaningful participation of survivors, families and affected communities.”