Thread by @GetachewTamiru5

#Unheard #facts on #Tension within #EOTC
There is heightened tension b/n the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church (EOTC) led by the Patriarch and a splinter group from Oromia. Here r #facts you might need to consider before jumping to conclusions. 1/14 @althecat

The current tension can have 2 main sources/reasons. First, it can be a result of z ongoing political tension b/n Oromo and Amhara political elite. Second, it can be a manifestation of a growing tension within the Oromia Prosperity Party itself. 2/14 @Qnie_Addis

Tension has been building up between Oromo and Amhara political actors (both inside and outside the ruling party) following the recent signing of agreement between the Federal Government and #TPLF for cessation of hostilities. 3/14 @LaurenBinDC

Some officials in Oromia accuse Fano militia of involvement in fueling conflicts in different parts of Oromia, including Wollega, where several targeted killings of ethnic Amharas have been reported. They also accuse EOTC of allegedly supporting the Fano group. 4/14 @befeqe

Some are serious allegations such as the church permitting its compounds for military training of Fano fighters. Similar allegations were surfacing during z last national election when some Church officials allegedly campaigned in support of z Amhara nationalistic party ABIN.5/14

Ethnic Amhara Church officials were also accused of facilitating land grab in Oromia in z name EOTC. Z most recent accusations includes an attempt by an organized (probably Amhara) group within the Church to stop the Oromo from using Afan Oromo in various Church ministries. 6/14

A group by the name of ‘Petrosawiyan’ has also been accused of establishing a ‘military wing of the Orothodox Church’ in Oromia with the purpose to protect properties of the EOTC from ‘destruction.’ 7/14 @YonasBiru57

This group was allegedly established in the aftermath of the murder ot Hachalu Hundessa. The group is accused of receiving financial support from the Amhara diaspora community. These and other factors seem to have upset the government. 8/14 @BikiltuMosisa1

Abiy recently admitted in a televised address zt there was an attempt to effect regime change by putting his gov under perpetual state of conflict. Abiy is probably using the current conflict as an opportunity to flag a warning sign to non-state Amhara political actors. 9/14

By permitting tension to linger, he probably wants to show that he can weaken the very ‘instrument’ used by its ‘adversaries’ to undermine his gov. But I don’t think he wants to weaken the Church as an institution, as some people suggest. His track record does not say so. 10/14

The current tension can be also a direct product of political tension within the Oromia Prosperity Party itself. The ongoing unrest in Oromia took a new turn when the federal government recently announced its intent to crackdown on corruption. 11/14 @breaking_bre @CohenOnAfrica

There has been a rumor that a powerful group, probably implicated in corruption, within Oromia Prosperity Party wants to stop the crackdown. One way to stop this is to ensure zt z region remains in a spiral of conflict and in doing so to deflect attention from z crackdown. 12/14

This too was admitted by the Prime Minister in his recent address. The current tension within EOTC can be one result of this situation. If this holds a grain of truth, then it is probably right to ask whether z PM has given a tacit co. 13/14 @lfreemansafrica @GirumTweets

I personally don’t think so. Whatever you might think, however, you can inform your position on the current situation of EOTC by adding the above points into your list of consideration before arriving at any conclusion. 14/14

I mean his adversaries, not its..