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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: ETHIOPIA RELIGIOUS CONFLICT (TV)
HEADLINE: Religious Violence in Ethiopia’s Gonder Opens Yet Another Simmering Wound
TEASER: Local Muslims say recent attack targeting them had been brewing for years
PUBLISHED AT: 5/26/2022
BYLINE: Henry Wilkins
DATELINE: GONDER, ETHIOPIA
VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Wilkins
VIDEO EDITOR:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Salem Solomon, wpm, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, ZOOM
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO__
TRT: 3:17
VID APPROVED BY: MPage
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: There is an accompanying radio piece. Wilkins added requested church comment in highlighted sentence.
((INTRO))
[[An April mob attack in northern Ethiopia that left at least 30 Muslims dead and 100 injured has fueled revenge attacks on Christians. Witnesses and community leaders spoke with VOA about what they believe led to the violence. For VOA, Henry Wilkins reports from Gonder, Ethiopia.]]
((NARRATOR))
Gonder is still reeling from a deadly mob attack in April, which occurred on this street during the funeral of a Muslim scholar.
The UN says it’s deeply concerned over what it calls ‘inter-religious clashes’ in this and other parts of Ethiopia.
The country is locked in a vicious civil war and analysts warn religious violence could add to its list of problems.
((Henry Wilkins, for VOA News ((in English, 13 secs))) (standup version))
“It was here, at the Saturday market, in Gonder, where the violence happened. We’ve heard that at least eight people were killed, others said as many as 60. Some residents say it was just Muslims that were killed, others say it was Christians too."
((NARRATOR))
The incident sparked retaliatory violence and protests across the country, including in the capital, Addis Ababa, where there was damage to buildings downtown.
Gonder authorities have kept a close eye on independent reporting, while Ethio Telecom has restricted internet access throughout the city. But VOA was able to speak witnesses.
((Asnakew Kassi, Witness (in Amharic, 30 secs)))
“At the end of the funeral ceremony, Muslim youths took heavy stones from a nearby churchyard to encircle the grave [of the scholar]. That’s when youths from both sides began fighting. It was chaos.”
((NARRATOR))
Other witnesses said the violence was premeditated, deliberately targeting Muslims over the course of several days.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on authorities to investigate what happened. Police say they have launched an inquiry.
But a Christian leader in Gonder criticized the U.N. and said the violence is an isolated incident and that relations between Christians and Muslims in the city are good. The violence, he said, is fueled by some with a political agenda, including rebel groups.
((Yosef Desta, Christian Community Leader (in Amharic, 30 secs)))
“As the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, we believe that the conflict has literally been imported from somewhere else, using religion as a coverage. External forces, particularly those forces who have political interests are behind the conflict.”
((NARRATOR))
A Muslim leader, however, says the violence has been brewing for years.
((Molla Yibrie, Gonder Islamic Council (in Amharic, 30 secs)))
“There have been signs since 2016 that we identified and reported to all concerned government offices. Improper religious teachings, preaching that some religious institutions superior to others was one sign. There was graffiti on local taxis that dehumanized people.”
((NARRATOR))
A representative of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Gondar said there may be rogue preachers who engage in this kind of rhetoric, but they are not representative of the institution.
One analyst says the Gonder conflict may be linked to both regional and religious identity. The Amhara region, where Gonder is situated, has seen a recent surge in ethnic nationalism.
((Terje Ostebo, Department of Religion at the University of Florida (in English, 24 secs))) ((Mandatory Courtesy: Zoom))
“It’s interesting when it comes to the Amhara region, Muslims in Gonder and Gojjam and so on, they don’t refer to themselves as Amhara [belonging to the Amhara ethnic group]. They never have done, so Amhara in that region means Christian [Most belong to the Orthodox Christian Church], so I think that’s an important part when it comes to how complex ethnic identity is.”
((NARRATOR))
As investigations continue, the atmosphere in Gondar remains tense.
((Henry Wilkins, for VOA News, Gonder, Ethiopia))
NewsML Media TopicsReligion and Belief
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMay 28, 2022 09:21 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
