• Polarized residents crave unity amid violence, anger

A deadly clash a month ago has put residents of the Bale Robe in a state of shock and bitterness. Fear and anxiety are still reigning in the city, Ethiopia Observer’s Zion K reports.

«You look so hurt and bitter. I do understand why,» Abune Henok, the Bishop of the West Arsi Diocese told audiences gathered at St. Gabriel Church in Bale Robe some two weeks ago. He came from Shashemene to Robe with other religious leaders to give support to the Orthodox Christian community, which has been the target of deadly attacks a month ago. He said he was here to console, and also appeal for forgiveness and show act of love.“ Despite the circumstances, we will never lose hope. These atrocious gestures make us firmer in the faith and stronger,” he said.

Robe, located 455 km from Addis Ababa and 14 km from Goba, has been regarded as a model of ethnic and religious tolerance and cohabitation. But that has been under increasing threat in the past two decades.  A radicalized form of Islam that is out of touch with Ethiopia’s primarily moderate religious practices is taking roots there, observers say.

Established in 1930, the town grew steadily, in large part due to its strategic location at the junction between the vast high plains of northern Bale and the southern and eastern lowlands. The town saw its glorious period after the political capital was moved from the Christian-majority Goba in the late 90’s. Robe serves as a point of departure for expeditions for Sof Omar cave and Sheikh Hussein shrine. A Muslim-majority town,  it is home to over 20 mosques and three churches. « The area itself had traditionally held an important position as the core area for the Walashe clan (claiming the Abaa Boku) and was connected to the gadda system (Hora Boku) as a place for toga, that is executions of criminals, » wrote Terje Østebø, a scholar and author of Localising Salafism: Religious Change Among Oromo Muslims in Bale, Ethiopia.

Though the tragic event that occurred in Robe on October 23 and the ensuing days was in connection with the high-profile activist and media mogul, Jawar Mohammed, as was reportedly the case in other Oromia towns such as Dodola, Kofele, Dinsho, Adama, the attack had a different twist, residents said. Here in the town of 120,000 inhabitants, the people who orchestrated the attack were not Querros but organized religious extremists who used the occasion to unleash a campaign of terror against the minority Christian community.

According to the list compiled by the Committee of priests and deacons of Churches in Robe town, five Orthodox church members (Christian Tulama Oromos) were killed and 22 (Amhara and Oromo Christians) wounded, twelve of them badly. Seven are being treated in Hawassa Referal Hospital, three in Addis Ababa, two in Goba Referal Hospital, ten in their own houses,” the report reads.

Two of the five bodies were reportedly decapitated. People bore witness to horrific scenes of broken, dismembered bodies, blood on the floor, parents paralyzed with grief and wreckage of glass and shattered households.

Addressing the church gathering, Abune Henok says the victims were killed for the sole reason of being Christian. He called for prayer “for those who have died, for their families and the entire community” and asked that Mary, the Mother of God, would console them all.” There is a flood of pain, hurt, disappointment, sadness, and heartbreak because such acts are being carried out. After all, Orthodox are part of this land and part of its fabric,” Abune Henok added.

A number of restaurants, hotels, and houses belonging to Christians were set on fire. According to the committee’s report, about 7.5  million birr worth of damages were done in the Metaferia Deneke Hotel, about 4.7 million birr in Elshaday Hotel, about 5.5 million Birr in Balageru Hotel, about 5.5 million birr in Harar Hotel, 5.5 million Birr in Meskel Hotel, 1.9 million Birr in Kidus Michael Hotel and 2.5 million Birr in Habehasha Hotel.

Even before this tragedy, Orthodox members in the town complained of being singled out for wearing Christian imagery and harassed. The spread of the Saudi Arabian Salafism strands of Islam has transformed the town from a peaceful place known for farming and commerce and religious tolerance into a hotbed of violent militancy. Young bearded men in ankle-length trousers stroll the streets, women cover themselves thoroughly. Buses carrying Christian pilgrims from Goba to Gishen were reportedly attacked and their windshields smashed a few months back. Differences and arguments also arise among local Muslims populations regarding the commemoration of the Prophet’s birthday and the veneration of the Sof Omar cave that reportedly served as a refuge for Sheikh Sof Omar Ahmed in the 11th century.

However, it was when Jawar Mohammed signaled his followers that his security guards were to be changed that unprecedented wave of violence unleashed. In Robe and other towns in Oromia, supporters came out in force to support the activist. In Robe, a three-day violence ensued in which Jawar’s supporters  — clashed with crowds whom they labeled as not showing enough solidarity for their cause. «Our leader is Jawar, Jawar is the father of Querro, » the protesters chanted, according to the DW Amharic radio report.

An attempt was made to burn down a church building. Witnesses were quoted by the radio station as saying that certain among the protesters took down a flag in the church compound and burned it down and attacked people living around the churches. A witness told Ethiopia Observer that certain elements arrived at houses owned by Christians on rickshaws. «They would knock at the door and would kidnap anyone who came to open the door, » he says. «As the word spread, the Christians start calling each other and gathered at certain houses to protect themselves, » the witness said. The Christians took revenge on Muslim communities for the violence they suffered and five Muslims were reportedly killed. A Mulsim cafe called Welmel was set on fire.

There were deaths and casualties in other towns such as Adama, Dodola, Dire Dawa. Up to 86 people have been killed died in the regional state of Oromia, according to the official report released a few days later. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed denounced an “attempt to turn the current crisis into an ethnic and religious crisis”. He said that 40 Christians and 34 Muslims were among the dead.

In Robe, the violent interactions and anguish would continue with the publication of a video that went viral online and offline. The video depicted an unidentified man delivering a notorious hate speech before a large crowd who took part in a funeral in the town for three Muslims who died in the violence. Rambling, the speaker urged the Oromos not to work, trade or deal with “Dorzes,” or “Neftegnas,” the latter being a euphemism for the Amharas.

A witness told DW that some did listen to the incendiary message and evicted tenants on the following days. The Robe town mayor, Adem Omar quickly issued a statement saying that the message does not represent the hospitable people of Robe and Bale. « These are people who came from outside with specific assignment and they tried to sow a seed that causes division and hatred in the town. But this would only make us more united than before, » a Muslim elderly, Kedir Sulyman, who participated in a recent forgiveness and reconciliation ceremony said.

The tension also spilled to the Madda Walabu University and many students left the university compound, fearing assaults and seek shelter in the churches and police stations. An online photo shows students spending the night sitting on benches and sleeping on the floor in the classroom hall in a deplorable state. The students had yet to return to the university.

Officials urged religious leaders to stop the clashes and bring the situation under control. On November 5, a forgiveness and reconciliation ceremony was organised by Abba Gada, church and mosque leaders. The initiative was led by Dr. Girma Amente, Deputy Chief Administrator of Oromia regional state and the ceremony was attended by Abba Geda of the Tulema and secretary of Abba Gedas, Gobena Hola, Kesis Belay Mekonnen of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Abba Gada from Oda Roba (Bale) Oda, Ali Mohamed Serur. Prayers were said by each participant and everyone participated in a communal meal of reconciliation.

There were community discussions held in every Kebele in the ensuing days. Committees have been established to document and investigate damages in detail and special bank accounts were opened to collect donations to compensate for the damages.

Somber atmosphere

Now, the normalcy of everyday life seems to have somewhat returned to Robe. Clean-up activities are in full swing and shops have reopened. But the mood remains gloomy.

Though local officials are widely criticised for doing nothing to stop the attack, the deputy mayor of the town, Seifu Ismael, appeared on state TV a week ago to say that 102 persons are in custody. Assefa Tefera Dibaba, a poet, researcher and an Oromo activist who attended the reconciliation ceremony told Ethiopia Observer that “the people of Bale Robe whom I talked to blame government officials in the area for not making quick and genuine attempts to control the situation before it spread like a wildfire.” “The violence is very concerning. It seems to be part of a larger trend of polarization and conflict in Ethiopian society,” said Andrew DeCort, director of the Institute for Christianity and the Common Good. “Urgent creative, proactive initiative is needed to promote the preciousness and protection of human life in Ethiopia,” he told Ethiopia Observer.

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