Security Officers Arrested for Failing to Protect Church, Mosques

By Staff Reporter

Mosques-burned-AmharaDecember 31, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- The Amhara regional police have arrested four security officers for alleged failure to execute responsibility and prevent religious-based attacks which left four mosques and a church burned in Mota town of east Gojam Zone of Amhara state of Ethiopia.

Speaking to the BBC, head inspector of the east Gojam Zone Police Department Ayalneh Tesfaye said the suspects were accused of failing to organize local militia and the police to prevent the attacks.

The inspector said those officials arrested by the regional government were heads of the zonal police department and Crime Prevention and Operations Team as well as the local militia department head and shift leader.

“It is unacceptable that such crimes occurred in the town where there are well-organized police and militiamen,” Ayalneh added.

It is recalled that last week the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council threatened to call for nationwide demonstrations if the government fails to give proper and immediate responses to its demands in connection with the burning of mosques and business establishments in Mota town of Amhara state.

The Supreme Court demanded that the government extend the necessary support to the committee in charge of investigating the damages; to bring perpetrators before justice; compensate and apologize those individuals and institutions who were affected by the attack; swiftly rebuild the mosques and set up a committee which will be investigating the problems faced by Muslim communities in Amhara regional state of Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, the federal police apprehended about 100 individuals on suspicion of instigating violence on 22 university grounds of Ethiopia.

The arrest has been going on while representatives of the Amhara and Oromia regional states, members of parliament and government officials have held discussions with19 university communities on possible ways of addressing conflicts on campuses.

Speaking to local media, State Minister of Science and Higher Learning Institutions Dr. Samuel Kifle said the government was aware that ethnic-based conflicts could occur on university grounds in relation to the reform undertaken by the government.

Dr. Samuel claimed that the conflicts would have been more devastating had not been for the preventative measures the government took. He did not specify the measures taken to prevent more conflicts. Critics feel otherwise. For a while, the government has been harshly criticized for the casual way it handled the breakdown of law and order on university grounds as well as elsewhere in communities across Ethiopia.

“The suspects would be charged with the death of students and the destruction of properties. The investigation is undertaken by the crime prevention and investigation bureau of the federal government. The outcome of the investigation would be disclosed to the public shortly,” the state minister added.  

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