Addis Abeba — The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), in a statement subsequent to a meeting held on 03 August, 2023 on nationwide peace issues, said conflicts in different areas of the country have continued causing loss of many lives and destruction of many national and public treasures.

"The recent war in the northern part of our country has claimed the lives of many of our people, and the survivors have been subjected to persecution and starvation, exposed to physical and mental breakdowns, and it has destroyed many churches and monasteries and damaged our irreplaceable precious heritage," the Holy Synod noted.

The church, whose unity is under threat after being accused by archbishops in Tigray of endorsing the Tigray war, reiterates the fundamental need for peace, and called on all parties engaged in conflicts across the country to "learn from the results of past wars" and solve the differences peacefully.

The Church's call comes following escalating hostilities between government forces and the Fano armed group throughout the Amhara region. On Thursday the Amhra regional state government urged the federal government to intervene stating that it is no longer possible to control the situation with regular law enforcement bodies. AS