Ethiopia: Country Dossier
January 2019
Open Doors International / World Watch Research Unit
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019
World Watch List 2019
Total Total Total Total Total Private Family Community National Church Score Score Score Score Score Rank Country Violence life life life life life WWL WWL WWL WWL WWL 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 1 North Korea 16.7 16.7 16.7 16.7 16.7 10.9 94 94 92 92 92 2 Afghanistan 16.7 16.7 16.7 16.7 16.7 10.6 94 93 89 88 81 3 Somalia 16.3 16.7 16.6 16.5 16.4 8.9 91 91 91 87 90 4 Libya 15.3 15.0 15.1 16.0 16.3 9.6 87 86 78 79 76 5 Pakistan 14.3 14.1 13.9 15.0 13.2 16.7 87 86 88 87 79 6 Sudan 14.7 15.0 14.6 15.6 16.1 10.6 87 87 87 84 80 7 Eritrea 14.7 14.9 15.8 16.0 15.2 9.4 86 86 82 89 79 8 Yemen 16.6 16.3 16.4 16.7 16.7 3.1 86 85 85 78 73 9 Iran 14.0 14.3 14.3 15.8 16.5 10.4 85 85 85 83 80 10 India 12.9 13.0 13.5 14.8 13.2 15.2 83 81 73 68 62 11 Syria 13.6 14.0 13.1 13.8 14.2 13.0 82 76 86 87 83 12 Nigeria 12.3 11.8 13.4 12.9 12.9 16.7 80 77 78 78 78 13 Iraq 13.9 14.4 14.1 14.6 13.6 8.1 79 86 86 90 86 14 Maldives 15.2 15.5 13.5 15.9 16.7 1.1 78 78 76 76 78 15 Saudi Arabia 15.1 13.6 14.0 15.3 16.5 2.4 77 79 76 76 77 16 Egypt 11.7 13.2 10.7 13.2 11.0 15.9 76 70 65 64 61 17 Uzbekistan 15.4 12.9 13.9 12.3 15.9 3.1 74 73 71 70 69 18 Myanmar 11.4 11.8 13.3 12.1 11.8 11.1 71 65 62 62 60 19 Laos 13.0 9.1 14.2 14.7 14.9 4.6 71 67 64 58 58 20 Vietnam 12.7 8.2 12.7 13.5 14.2 9.1 70 69 71 66 68 Central Africa 21 10.2 9.7 11.9 10.6 11.1 16.1 70 61 58 59 67 Republic 22 Algeria 13.1 14.2 10.1 11.8 12.7 7.6 70 58 58 56 55 23 Turkmenistan 14.6 10.8 13.8 13.3 15.1 1.3 69 68 67 66 63 24 Mali 11.4 10.1 11.5 9.2 9.9 15.4 68 59 59 55 52 25 Mauritania 13.9 14.0 12.2 13.0 13.3 0.6 67 57 55 - 50 26 Turkey 12.4 11.1 10.7 13.2 10.9 7.2 66 62 57 55 52 27 China 10.4 8.0 10.3 11.8 14.5 10.0 65 57 57 57 57 28 Ethiopia 10.0 10.0 10.3 10.8 10.4 13.5 65 62 64 67 61 29 Tajikistan 13.8 11.9 11.6 12.1 12.9 2.4 65 65 58 58 50 30 Indonesia 10.6 11.1 11.3 10.2 9.3 12.0 65 59 55 55 50 31 Jordan 13.0 13.1 11.8 11.5 12.2 3.0 65 66 63 59 56 32 Nepal 12.4 11.4 10.6 10.9 11.9 7.0 64 64 - - - 33 Bhutan 12.9 11.1 12.3 12.4 14.0 0.9 64 62 61 56 56 34 Kazakhstan 13.2 10.8 10.3 12.2 13.5 3.1 63 63 56 55 51 35 Morocco 12.2 13.3 9.6 12.0 14.4 1.5 63 51 49 47 47 36 Brunei 13.4 14.3 10.5 10.3 13.4 0.7 63 64 64 61 58 37 Tunisia 12.1 13.2 10.7 11.2 12.0 3.3 63 62 61 58 55 38 Qatar 13.0 12.6 10.3 11.0 14.1 1.1 62 63 66 65 64 39 Mexico 8.3 7.5 12.2 10.2 9.7 13.5 61 59 57 56 55 40 Kenya 11.7 10.6 10.1 8.3 11.5 8.3 61 62 68 68 63 Russian 41 12.5 8.4 10.7 10.4 12.0 5.7 60 51 46 48 45 Federation 42 Malaysia 11.8 14.2 12.1 11.7 8.6 1.5 60 65 60 58 55 43 Kuwait 13.2 12.2 10.1 10.5 12.2 1.5 60 61 57 56 49 44 Oman 12.9 12.5 9.8 9.6 12.8 1.7 59 57 53 53 55 United Arab 45 12.8 12.0 9.1 10.5 12.2 1.9 58 58 55 55 49 Emirates 46 Sri Lanka 11.0 8.3 10.5 11.5 10.0 7.0 58 57 55 - 51 47 Colombia 7.9 7.6 11.8 9.4 8.5 12.6 58 56 53 55 55 48 Bangladesh 11.0 9.1 11.6 10.5 7.8 7.8 58 58 63 57 51 Palestinian 49 11.4 12.3 9.0 10.6 11.8 2.4 57 60 64 62 58 Territories 50 Azerbaijan 13.2 9.9 9.3 11.1 12.4 1.5 57 57 - 57 50 51 Comoros 11.7 11.5 9.1 9.9 13.9 0.4 56 - 56 56 56 52 Kyrgyzstan 12.7 9.9 10.9 9.2 11.9 1.9 56 - - - - 53 Djibouti 12.3 12.3 10.3 10.0 11.2 0.0 56 56 57 58 60 Democratic 54 Republic of the 5.6 6.7 9.3 7.4 10.3 16.1 55 - - - - Congo 55 Bahrain 11.9 12.2 8.6 10.2 10.2 1.5 55 57 54 54 - 56 Cameroon 9.9 7.3 10.0 7.8 7.5 11.3 54 - - - - 57 Tanzania 9.3 10.8 10.3 8.6 8.8 4.8 52 - 59 57 56 58 Niger 11.5 9.7 8.1 8.1 10.0 4.8 52 - - 53 - 59 Cuba 8.8 4.4 9.1 10.5 11.8 3.9 49 - - - - 60 Chad 11.5 8.2 9.0 8.0 8.7 3.0 48 - - - - 61 Burkina Faso 9.0 8.0 8.8 6.6 7.9 7.2 48 - - - - 62 Uganda 11.4 8.0 7.7 6.9 9.6 3.7 47 - - - - 63 Guinea 10.3 7.5 8.3 7.0 8.1 5.0 46 - - - - 64 South Sudan 5.7 1.5 7.5 5.8 8.0 15.0 44 - - - - 65 Mozambique 6.7 4.3 6.0 6.9 6.0 13.3 43 - - - - 66 Gambia 7.7 8.2 8.2 8.3 8.8 1.9 43 - - - - 67 Ivory Coast 9.8 8.7 8.2 5.5 6.4 4.3 43 - - - - 68 Burundi 5.1 5.8 9.7 9.2 9.6 3.3 43 - - - - 69 Angola 6.4 3.6 7.1 8.7 10.4 6.1 42 - - - - 70 Togo 8.8 6.7 8.5 7.1 8.4 2.0 42 - - - - 71 Venezuela 3.3 3.8 10.5 9.0 8.8 5.9 41 - - - - 72 Rwanda 5.3 4.4 6.7 7.8 10.1 6.7 41 - - - - 73 Nicaragua 2.3 3.6 6.4 8.9 7.9 11.9 41 - - - -
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019
Ethiopia Country Dossier January 2019 – Copyright Notice No copyright - This report is the property of World Watch Research (WWR), the research department of Open Doors International. It may be used and distributed free of charge, but please always acknowledge WWR as the source.
Contents World Watch List 2019 ...... 1 Ethiopia – Country Dossier January 2019 ...... 2 Copyright Notice ...... 2 Introduction ...... 4 WWL 2019: Keys to understanding Ethiopia ...... 5 Link for general background information ...... 5 Recent country history ...... 5 The religious landscape ...... 5 The political landscape ...... 6 The socio-economic landscape ...... 6 Concluding remarks ...... 7 External Links - WWL 2019: Keys to understanding Ethiopia ...... 7 WWL 2019: Church History and Facts ...... 8 How many Christians? ...... 8 How did Christians get there? ...... 8 What church networks exist today?...... 9 Religious context ...... 9 Notes on the current situation ...... 10 External Links - WWL 2019: Church History and Facts ...... 10 WWL 2019: Short & Simple Persecution Profile ...... 11 Introduction ...... 11 What type of persecution dominates? ...... 11 Who is driving persecution? ...... 11 What it results in ...... 11 Violence ...... 12 Examples of specific persecution in the reporting period ...... 12
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019
External Links - WWL 2019: Short & Simple Persecution Profile ...... 12 WWL 2019: Persecution Dynamics ...... 13 Introduction ...... 13 Position on World Watch List (WWL) ...... 13 Persecution engines ...... 13 Drivers of persecution ...... 15 Context ...... 16 Christian communities and how they are affected ...... 17 Pressure in the 5 spheres of life and violence ...... 18 5 Year trends ...... 21 Gender specific persecution ...... 22 Persecution of other religious minorities ...... 22 Future outlook ...... 22 External Links - WWL 2019: Persecution Dynamics ...... 23 Additional Reports and Articles ...... 24 WWR in-depth reports ...... 24 Open Doors article(s) from the region ...... 24 World Watch Monitor news articles ...... 24 Recent country developments ...... 24
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019
Introduction This country report is a collation of documents based around Open Doors World Watch List (WWL) including statistical information on world religions, Christian denominations, and people groups prepared by the World Christian Database (WCD). Further news and analysis is supplied by World Watch Monitor and WWR staff.
World Watch List Ethiopia Points WWL Rank WWL 2019 65 28 WWL 2018 62 29 WWL 2017 64 22 WWL 2016 67 18 WWL 2015 61 22
Scores and ranks are shown above whenever the country was among the fifty highest scoring countries (Top 50) in the WWL 2015-2019 reporting periods.
Please note: The highlighted links in the text can be found written out in full at the conclusion of each mai se tio u der the headi g E ter al li ks .
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019
WWL 2019: Keys to understanding Ethiopia
Link for general background information See BBC country profile: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13349398 Recent country history For many centuries Ethiopia was part of the Aksumite Empire, which included present-day Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia but this came to an end around 940 AD. Thereafter different dynasties ruled the country. In 1974 the army deposed the king - the last king of the Solomonic dynasty - and took control of the state. The military junta led by Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam followed socialist ideology. Following the ousting of the military by rebel forces in 1991, the current ruling EPRDF party came to power and a constitution was finally drafted in 1995. The Eritrean–Ethiopian War took place from May 1998 to June 2000. The new Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed signed a peace deal with Eritrea in June 2018 formally ending that war. Both countries removed some of their armed forces from the front.
Current developments in Ethiopia have been changing thick and fast. In 2015, the ruling party claimed to have won 100% of the contested parliamentary seats, a claim that sent a shock among human rights groups and those who work on democracy and rule of law. Although the country is said to have been developing at a very good rate in terms of economic development, in November 2015 the country faced a series of violent protests. Human rights groups reported that hundreds of people had been killed by security forces and thousands put in jail. The demonstrations started peacefully in Oromia region and expanded to the Amhara region with demands for the respect of political, civil, social and economic rights. In response, the government imposed martial law in October 2016. Then came the big news in 2017: Prime Minister Haile Mariam Dessalegn resigned. After intensive behind- the-scene deliberations, Dr. Abiy Ahmed was elected the chairman of the ruling party and eventually became Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Since he assumed office in April 2018, the new prime minister has introduced massive reforms including the release of thousands of political prisoners and proposing the privatization of some of the companies owned by the state. Other very important diplomatic and economic reforms were also introduced. The religious landscape Historically, Ethiopia has always had deep Christian roots. The main Christian groups in Ethiopia are the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the various Protestant denominations. The latter entered the country from the 19th century onwards. While Islam also has a long history in Ethiopia, dating back to the hijrah (flight of Muslims to Axum in northern Ethiopia in 615 AD), it was the Roman Catholic Church (introduced in the 16th century) which shaped the identity of Ethiopia to a large extent. In fact, Ethiopia presents itself as a bulwark of Christianity in comparison to its Islamic neighbors. Within the context of the glo al ar agai st terror , this arrative is often employed by Ethiopians. Nonetheless, Ethiopia has a very substantial Muslim minority. Sufism has a long tradition, and the more conservative Salafist streams have been present since the 1930s, expanding from the 1960s onwards. These Islamic streams ere origi all o e trated alo g Ethiopia s easter fri ges, ut ha e ee gro i g i i flue e among the Ethiopian population in all areas and causing deep concern for the present government. The Muslim community, especially the leadership, has become very assertive. There have been claims that the marginalization policy that left the Muslim community devoid of any political or economic impact in the country under previous regimes is continuing under the current regime. The government,
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019
however, refutes such allegations. The new prime minister has released all Muslim leaders who were arrested under the previous prime minister. The new prime minister also mediated between the two factions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and as a result, the former Patriarch who was in exile has now returned to Ethiopia. The political landscape The 1995 Constitution established a federal form of government based on ethnicity. The ideology was supported by the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and other ethnic-based political parties. The TPLF is the main body ruling with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). During the armed struggle in the 1970s and 80s they articulated a very specific role for ethnicity in Ethiopia, which they established after coming to power. In short, ethnicity may serve as a counter to religion. Indeed, the primary identity marker in Ethiopia seems to remain ethnicity over religion. However, for certain ethnic groups, religion plays an important role in their identity. For example, the Amhara and Tigray historically have close ties with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC), while the Ogaden are ethnic Somali Muslims. Nonetheless, it is important to note that political mobilization still takes place primarily on ethnic grounds. While religious-based conflicts do erupt, insecurity in Ethiopia mainly involves ethnic-based armed groups. These groups are motivated primarily through feeling marginalized by the Tigray-dominated society, rather than on the basis of religion. However, now that the TPLF has lost control of the federal government (after the series of protests starting in 2015 forced the prime minister to resign) many Ethiopians strongly believe that the new prime minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, is the man who can solve the problems the country has been facing. The socio-economic landscape Socio-economic issues in Ethiopia are closely connected to politics and religion. In the past, the distribution of wealth and inclusion in a democratic process used to be based (mainly) on religion and ethnicity.
I ter s of e o o i de elop e t, Ethiopia s e o o is elie ed to e o e of the fastest de elopi g economies in the world. According to the World Bank, Ethiopia s GDP is proje ted to gro at . i 2018 and 7.9 in 2019. There are no specific economic challenges that affect Christians in particular. However, groups such as converts from Islam or from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (cross- denomination converts) might not be able to enjoy any economic benefits due to societal pressure.
Socially, past and present governments have attempted to mobilize their support by controlling religious groups and influencing religious life in the country. For example, after coming to power in 1991 the EPRDF party replaced the patriarch of the Orthodox Church - a position that is typically held for life. This implies that the role of the government in religion is stronger than the influence of religious groups on the government. Moreover, the interference of the Ethiopian government often generates resentment among the population since religious institutions are perceived as being co-opted. In addition, a formal political organization on a religious basis is technically outlawed in Ethiopia. Within this context, Protestant churches are considered to be largely (apolitical) agents of Western ideology and interests. Various informal politically organized religious groups do exist, especially within Ethiopia s diaspora, ut the do i a t arrati e ithi Ethiopia s politi al s ste re ai s tied to ethnicity. Against this backdrop Muslim groups have become more active, which has led to the development of specific religious-based publications, such as YeMuslimoch Guday (Muslim Affairs) and Sewtul Islam.
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019
The apolitical character of the Protestant movement, including converts from Islam or the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC), has brought these Christians into increasing conflict with the Ethiopian government and the two main religious bodies in the country. Experts believe that the current political dynamics might improve relations between Orthodox and Protestant Christians. There are still others who believe that the main problem that emanates from the EOC is from ultra-conservative groups not from the leadership. It is unlikely that the change in the leadership of the Ethiopian government will change the view of those ultra-conservative groups. Concluding remarks Ethiopia is one of the oldest states in Africa. It is also one of the first countries to accept and adopt Christianity as its state religion. In the past few decades, various Christian denominations have emerged, causing the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to lose its exclusive position (and hence privilege in its relationship with government and society) as the sole Christian denomination in the country. The new administration under the leadership of Dr. Abiy Ahmed might help to defuse some problems that Protestant Christians face, especially at the hands of the EOC. External Links - WWL 2019: Keys to understanding Ethiopia 1. The socio-economic landscape: World Bank - https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/26800/9781464810244.pdf
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019
WWL 2019: Church History and Facts
How many Christians? Pop 2018 Christians Chr% 107,535,000 64,037,000 59.5 Source: Johnson T M and Zurlo G A (eds.), World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, accessed January 2018) How did Christians get there? Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa to accept Christianity. Christianity entered the country in the fourth century - during the Axumite period - when the royal family became Christians - and the Christian faith gradually came to dominate the land. Following the acceptance of Christianity by the ruling elite, the Ethiopian church created a strong relationship with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt. As a result, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church received its Patriarch from Alexandria, Egypt, right up until 1959. Orthodox Christianity remained the state religion until 1974. (Source: Melton J.G. & Baumann M., eds., Religions of the world, 2010, p.1004.)
The second form of Christianity to enter Ethiopia was the Roman Catholic Church. This was the result of the relationship between Ethiopia and the Portuguese during the 16th century. The Portuguese tried to change the Ethiopian state religion to Catholic. This attempt caused bloodshed as the peasants reacted angrily. As a result, Catholic missionaries were expelled from the country and were not allowed to retur u til the th e tur . Ethiopia follo ed a losed door poli for 150 years from 1632 onwards. Today a community of several hundred thousand Roman Catholics exists in Ethiopia and is led by the Archbishop of Addis Ababa.
The third type of Christianity to enter Ethiopia was Protestant. It managed to enter the country through the efforts of a spe tru of Lutheran missionaries, beginning in 1866 with some from the S edish Luthera Missio . I the se o d de ade of the th e tur , S edish issio aries representing the Independent True Friends of the Bible arrived in the country. These united with the Swedish Lutheran Mission to coordinate work. Missionaries from different parts of the world o ti ued to arri e: Ger a issio aries fro the Her a s urg Missio arri ed i . Missionaries from Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and the United States arrived through the 1940s and 1950s. Much of the Lutheran work was brought together in the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. American Presbyterians arrived in 1920 and began work among the [Oromo] people. When the Italians arrived, the Presbyterian missionaries were expelled, and before leaving they organized their mission as the Bethel Evangelical Church. In the mid- s, it erged i to the Meka e Jesus Chur h. (Source: Religions of the world, p.1006.)
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church tried to restrict the influence of the missionaries among the populace. However, attempts to remain the sole Christian Church in the country were also rendered futile by the arrival of the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM). SIM launched its expansive work in Ethiopia in 1927 under the direction of Dr Thomas A. Lambie.
The expulsion of Italy and the conclusion of World War II brought more Christian groups into the country. The Baptist General Conference of America entered the country in 1950 with its first organized mission in Ambo - West of Addis Ababa. (Source: Brackney W.H., Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, p.201.) Pe te ostalis a e i to the ou tr i the post-war years, and two large indigenous churches have resulted, the Full Gospel Believers Church and Gods All Times Association. Both of these
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Ethiopia – WWR Country Dossier – January 2019