Ethiopia’s justice minister appeared to announce that the country’s political leaders would bury their political enemies, igniting a frenzy of opinion online.
Weeks after thousands of people protested against the government in a nationwide rebellion, Digragg Shimeles, Ethiopia’s deputy justice minister, said that the kingdom of Somalia should be paid reparations, and a nation-wide map be redrawn, according to the BBC.
Shimeles’ announcement in the northeast Amhara region also said the exiled opposition group, the Oromo Liberation Front, would be included in a national unity program.
The Horn of Africa nation faces off against the Somali federal government in a bloody battle.
However, there has been no direct threat of violence from the Ethiopian opposition or other ethnic groups opposed to the government.
On Friday, Assefa Wabekelu, the spokesperson for the Ethiopian government, distanced herself from the previous announcement. She tweeted that she has been reading and it is unfortunate that someone else introduced it.
“Innocent churchgoers” were abused by opposition political elements for not taking part in the graveside ranting of a radical element of our nation’s population. Out of the context, one could give the impression of an imminent threat to peace, which could not be further from the truth. We’ll live in peace with ourselves and our neighbors. — Assefa Wabekelu (@Assefa Wabekelu) February 9, 2019
Her Tweet added that the government will take swift action against whoever might be inciting violence, saying: “Innocent churchgoers” were abused by opposition political elements for not taking part in the graveside ranting of a radical element of our nation’s population. Out of the context, one could give the impression of an imminent threat to peace, which could not be further from the truth. We’ll live in peace with ourselves and our neighbors. — Assefa Wabekelu (@Assefa Wabekelu) February 9, 2019
An online poll conducted by the BBC and Facebook on Friday showed 76 percent of those surveyed agreed with the the statement that protesters in Ethiopia were “forced to fight by the Ethiopian government’s ‘rogue tribal chiefs.’