Ethiopia: Christians under attack in Ogaden

As reported by various news outlets, a two-day period of violence erupted on 4 August 2018 targeting the Christian minority in Ogaden, the official name of Ethiopia"s Somali Region which has a 98% Muslim majority population. According to World Watch Monitor reporting on 14 August 2018, 15 Orthodox priests were among those killed, 10 Orthodox churches were set ablaze and 9 Evangelical churches were also vandalized or looted. The crisis also led to the evacuation of personnel by oil companies from the region, as highlighted by The Reporter on 11 August 2018. The Liyu paramilitary police have been committing serious atrocities in the region for some time, according to Amnesty International in a report dated 31 May 2018. Yonas Demebele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, states: "These sudden killings and burning of churches in Ethiopia"s Somali region has happened at a time when millions of Ethiopians are embracing the promise of change and reform that the new prime minister has brought to the country. However, Christians in this eastern region of Ethiopia have been facing intense persecution for decades, despite the fact that targeted killings and the destruction of churches were rare up until now. Although federal security forces are now in control, the region is still very fragile and the Christian minority needs to take maximum precautions."