Although Ethiopia is a majority-Christian country, complex religious and ethnic tensions, combined with political and civil unrest, mean that pressure on Christians is very high. In the Afar and Somali regions, where ethnicity and Islam are interconnected, Christians can face hostility from family and community. The government is growing more authoritarian and has restricted religious institutions. Fanatical elements of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church also try to undermine other denominations.
Obama visit puts Ethiopia’s record in spotlight
n Ethiopians walk past a poster of US President Barack Obama in Addis Ababa on 27 July. gettyimages.com U.S. President Barak Obama is visiting Ethiopia on 27 and 28 July, providing an opportunity for America to prod its ally on its human-rights record, which gets low marks from world capitals. […]
Ethiopians executed in Libya identified
At least two of the 30 or so Ethiopians killed by Islamic State in Libya on Sunday 19 April have been identified by their families in Addis Ababa. The families confirmed to AP that the two, Eyasu Yikunoamlak and Balcha Belete, left Ethiopia two months ago, and had been intending to try […]
Ethiopian wife killed for Christian conversion
Maria Yusuf, from Boreda, Ethiopia, was killed after her husband beat her for her refusal to recant her Christian faith on 22 June. Yusuf was a Muslim when she married but became a Christian two years ago – converts from Islam are often placed under tremendous pressure to return. A […]
Wrongful conviction in Ethiopia robs Christian of children
His wife died shortly before he was falsely accused of desecrating the Quran, and by the time he was released from prison in southern Ethiopia, his two children, ages 6 and 15, were missing. Tamirat Woldegorgis walked out of prison in Jijiga on April 25, limping, after spending nearly two […]