JIJIGA, Eastern Ethiopia – As more than one hundred believers gathered for worship on the evening of April 15 at the Emmanuel Church in this eastern Ethiopian town, Muslims opposed to the Christian presence there threw a bomb at the building.
The building was completely destroyed and five people were injured, one critically. According to VOMC sources in Ethiopia, the area is almost entirely Muslim and pressure against Christians has been strong.
Police have openly intimidated believers and imprisoned anyone found to be sharing their Christian faith with others.
Two years ago, a Full Gospel church in Jijiga was also bombed.
VOM Canada
Residents may boycott Al Amoudi’s poultry products
ADDIS ABABA – Residents of Addis Ababa and other cities around the country have vowed during shopping for Easter to boycott poultry products supplied by businesses owned by billionaire businessman Sheik Mohamed Al Amoudi.
The boycott was called after reports surfaced recently uncovering a conspiracy by the Meles Zenawi regime to sabotage other privately-owned poultry farms, such as the one owned by Dr. Yacob Hailemariam, CUD Executive Committee member currently languishing in jail.
The poultry boycott is yet another expression of public protest toward the increasingly powerful business tycoon who is backed by the ruling party in Addis. An individual who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of his life stated, “We would much rather keep eating Shirro before we buy a chicken from Al Amoudi’s poultry farm. We will never forget his public allegiance to TPLF at their 31st anniversary, and the $5.5 million birr he pledged to give to our tormentors.”
It appears that there are organized efforts to affect his business interests throughout Ethiopia. It has been widely reported that business outfits he owns such as the Sheraton Hotel, Pepsi bottling company, and the National Oil Company petrol stations are targeted by the boycott. (Sources)
Nigerian delegation avoids German city
BERLIN – Nigerian officials canceled plans to stay in the Brandenburg state capital on a trade mission over fears for their safety after an African-born man was brutally attacked there, a hotel manager said Thursday.
The 15-strong Nigerian delegation was to check into Potsdam’s Voltaire Hotel on Wednesday and stay for a week, but pulled out after hearing about the weekend attack, director Beate Fernengel said.
“They just didn’t have the courage to come here after that and are staying instead in Berlin,” Fernengel said.
A 37-year-old Ethiopian-born German man suffered life-threatening head and brain injuries in a beating at a tram stop in Potsdam early Sunday. The attack appeared racially motivated, stirring concern about neo-Nazi violence.
The chamber of commerce in Potsdam, just outside Berlin, had invited the Nigerian government and business representatives to a conference on bilateral business ties that began Thursday. (AP)
‘Phenomenal increase’ in asylum seekers in SA
JOHANNESBURGH – South Africa has seen a “phenomenal increase” in the number of asylum seekers in the past few years, the Department of Home Affairs said on Thursday.
“South Africa has become a safe haven for thousands of individuals from all over the world who are forced to flee their own communities or countries because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution,” said Gzinumzi Ntlakana, acting Deputy Director General of Home Affairs.
Although there are only 29 000 people with refugee status living in the country, there are 103 410 outstanding asylum applications.
People fleeing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Somalia make up almost 50% of those awaiting the outcome of refugee-status applications.
“The influx of asylum seekers, lack of capacity and inadequate availability of resources to facilitate the registration of asylum seekers has created a backlog of applications that runs over 100 000.
“These have resulted, in some instances, in unlawful arrests, detention and deportation of legitimate applicants,” Ntlakana said.
The department hopes to eradicate the backlog within the next year.
Temporary offices have been opened in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape and 178 contract staff appointed to deal with the problem. (Sapa)
In addition, a toll-free hotline, on 0800 733 843, has been set up for asylum seekers and refugees to track the progress of their applications. — Sapa
