ASENDABO, Ethiopia — At least one Christian was killed and others injured when thousands of Islamic extremists set fire to 59 churches and at least 28 homes in western Ethiopia in early March, Christian leaders said. More than 4,000 Christians in and around Asendabo, Jimma Zone have been displaced as a result of attacks that began March 2 after Muslims accused a Christian of desecrating the Quran by tearing up a copy, sources said. “The atrocity is still going on, and more people are suffering,” said a source in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa who is in close contact with area church leaders. The Christian killed, believed to have been a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, has not yet been identified.
A source noted that evangelical church leaders have reported the attacks to authorities and asked government officials for help, but no action had been taken at press time. “The church requested more police protection,” he said. “The authorities sent security forces, but they were overwhelmed by the attackers.” After the destruction began at Asendabo, it spread to Chiltie, Gilgel Gibe, Gibe, Nada, Dimtu, Uragay, Busa and Koticha, as Muslim mobs in the thousands rampaged throughout the area, the source said.
“Police at the site are not taking any action — they just watch what is happening,” he said. “It is difficult to estimate the attack in terms of deaths, since we have no access to any location. We are very concerned that the attack that began on March 2 in Asendabo, which is the rural part of Jimma, is now heading to Jimma town.”
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