Ethiopian Orthodox Church accuses government of wanting to "destroy" Tigray

The head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church accused the government of wanting to "

" the Tigray region, in a video constituting his first public comments on the six-month war in the north of the country.

This statement by Abune Mathias, himself from Tigray, was made in a video recording exfiltrated from Ethiopia by a friend of his after his previous attempts to speak out were "

" he said. -he.

Read also: Blinken worries about "humanitarian disaster" in Tigray in an interview with the Ethiopian Prime Minister

Such a public stance is rare in the country, since the start of this conflict between the Ethiopian federal army and forces loyal to the once dominant ruling party in Tigray, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

“

”says Abune Mathias in Amharic in this 14-minute video.

“

”he says.

In early November, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent the federal army to Tigray to arrest and disarm the leaders of the TPLF, whom he accuses of orchestrating attacks on military bases.

He always claimed that the army was targeting the TPLF and not civilians.

But numerous abuses against civilians, including massacres and gang rapes, have been reported and documented.

According to many witnesses and survivors, they were carried out by Ethiopian soldiers and troops from neighboring Eritrea.

"

Muffled

"

messages

Abune Mathias denounces this “

”. He also deplores the damage caused to the famous Orthodox monasteries of Tigray, as well as the massacres perpetrated on lands belonging to the Church, in particular in the city of Dengolat. During an AFP visit to Dengolat in February, priests expressed disappointment that Orthodox leaders did not denounce the violence. The Orthodox Church is Ethiopia's largest religious community, representing over 40% of the 110 million people.

Dennis Wadley, friend of Abune Mathias and director of the American NGO Bridges of Hope International, told AFP that he recorded the video on April 26 during a trip to Ethiopia. “

” he explained. An Orthodox official confirmed to AFP the authenticity of the recording. Abune Mathias claims to have already tried to denounce the war, especially in interviews, but that he was prevented from doing so by the government. “

”he said.

Read also: Ethiopia: the head of the interim government of Tigray replaced

Although Abiy Ahmed declared victory in late November after taking the regional capital Mekele, fighting continues.

The international community is alarmed by the situation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken notably warned last month of an

impending "

".

Faced with the growing number of civilians threatened by hunger and the continuing fighting, Abune Mathias "

".