Ethiopia's cultural heritage bruised by civil war
http://www.obsnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1332390
【anchor】
Ethiopia's civil war, which has been going on for a year, is bruising the cultural heritage, the common property of mankind.
Destruction and looting are taking place, but there is no clear solution.
【announcer】
The obelisk of Axum in Mekele province, Ethiopia, has been destroyed and left unattended.
Mekele Province used to be a popular tourist destination with remnants of the heyday of the 4th century Axum Empire, but it is now in ruins.
[Berhan Yeshwas / Artifact Curator: Cultural heritage in conflict zones is inevitably lost, stolen, or damaged. Conflict puts our relics at risk.]
The civil war between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which began a year ago, is devastating Ethiopia.
Thousands were killed, more than two million displaced, and ancient cultural heritage was stained with wounds.
The Al Nejassi Mosque, built by the disciples of the Prophet Muhammad, was also damaged by shells, and the ancient manuscripts in the Debra Damo Monastery were looted.
[Berhan Yeshwas / Artifact Curator: The relics in our country are very old and cannot be found or replaced anywhere else.]
A place that still maintains its shape, away from tourists and pilgrims, is in the midst of a fierce battlefield.
Built in the 12th century, Lalibela is an Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrimage site that draws many pilgrims every year.
But now it is occupied by the Tigray People's Liberation Front, and it has become a place no one can go to.
[Pentau Alemu / Travel Guide: The pilgrims (seeking the church) make a prayer. When the sick mother is healed, they will bring something to give to the church, and so on. They can no longer keep that oath.]
The only way to protect their precious cultural heritage is to end the war.
However, on the 2nd local time, the Ethiopian federal government declared a state of emergency and urged all citizens to participate in the war.
The international community appealed for an end to hostilities, and the United States warned the Ethiopian government of sanctions, but tensions and conflicts in Ethiopia are intensifying day by day.