A stray bullet in the sacred land of Ethiopia?

Reuters quoted Ethiopian government spokesman Legesse Tulu today (November 8) as denying reports that the army and Fano militia were fighting in the holy town of Lalibela. According to Tulu, Lalibela and the surrounding area are "very peaceful."

The statement was made after four local residents told Reuters they heard gunfire, suspected to be from fighting between the army and Fano.

"Fighting broke out (in Lalibela) an hour ago and I'm currently hiding in my house," the source said over the phone with gunfire echoing in the background.

Worshippers attend morning prayers at the rock church of Saint George in Lalibela.

Meanwhile, a deacon at one of the 11 churches in Lalibela said fighting broke out around 8 a.m. throughout the area. According to the deacon, a shelter built to protect one of the churches was hit by stray bullets three times: "They are using all kinds of weapons. I could feel the shaking."

Lalibela is famous for its many World Heritage sites, including the 11 churches mentioned above, which were built in the 12th and 13th centuries. This is a major attraction for Coptic Orthodox Christians as well as tourists.

According to Ethiopia's Borkena news agency, Lalibela has been under a state of emergency since August, after Fano fought against the army since the end of July.

The Fano are a militia without a formal command structure, primarily concentrated in the Amhara region (northern Ethiopia). In August, the group captured Lalibela, but was quickly repelled a few days later.

The fighting, which killed hundreds of people, was the biggest security challenge facing Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since the civil war in the Tigray region ended a year earlier.

The Fano forces supported the Ethiopian army in the two-year civil war in Tigray, but relations became strained when the two sides could not agree on who would control the western and southern areas of Tigray. The government's announcement that it would merge regional forces into the federal police and army also sparked the conflict.

The federal army and the Amhara regional government have not commented on the information.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-lac-o-vung-dat-linh-thieng-cua-ethiopia-185231108163631862.htm