Sheik Mohammed Mekin Haji
The situation in Ethiopia under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s leadership seems to be spiraling into chaos.
Recent incidents in Ethiopia’s Oromia region have painted a grim picture. Sheik Mohammed Mekin Haji, an Imam from a mosque in North Shoa’s Dera District, has been tragically killed.
He was abducted by a militant group along with 12 others from the mosque in Adea Melkie Kebele, within the Dera district. The hostages were reportedly close associates of the Imam.
Opposition group, Enat Party, conveyed their condolences and shed light on the grim details surrounding his murder in an official statement. Despite significant efforts over the past month, securing his release proved futile.
The extremists initially demanded a ransom of three million birr, of which 1.4 million was delivered to the Oromo Liberation Army kidnappers. However, these demands grew to include the balance and a firearm. The rationale behind demanding such things from an Imam remains baffling.
In another unsettling event shortly after, a priest met the same fate in the same area. Like the Imam, this priest was also taken hostage before being killed. The captors made demands of 800,000 Ethiopian birr, which was paid in full.
The Enat Party expressed no surprise at the persistent ethnic violence, citing recent attacks as systematic and swept under the rug with “Propaganda.”
Pushing their criticism further, the party accused Abiy Ahmed’s government of undermining ancient Ethiopian beliefs to usher in a ‘new world order.’ They claimed governmental interference in religious affairs, harassment of clergy, and ethnic-centric massacres are deliberate efforts to weaken religious unity.
Moreover, Enat Party suspects a hidden agenda to ignite religious conflicts, pitting followers of various faiths against each other, obstructing solidarity and mutual defense.
Allegations are mounting that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration is colluding with Western forces to dismantle Ethiopia’s cultural and religious fabric. In an outcry against perceived encroachments, Ethiopia’s religious council urged the administration to withdraw from the Samoa Agreement in February, seeing it as an attempt to introduce contentious ideologies such as promoting sodomy in educational institutions.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
