Residents worried about new order that compels them to register their ethnicity and religion

ESAT News

June 05, 2014

Residents of Kebele One of Debre Zeyet town, South East of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, are

seriously worried about a new directive that compels them to get their their religious and

ethnic background registered. Police and local officials have been going door by door to

register their ethnic and religious backgrounds, they said.

“The aim of the registration could be to select some people and evict them” the residents

fear. They said when they asked the registrars why it was necessary to register their ethnic

background; they were told that it was a directive that came from the top.

ESAT’s effort to speak to the town’s police officials was not successful.

Other residents have said that the registration could be related to the upcoming general

election.

The increasing instability and area based conflicts in the region that are instigated by the

regime, have caused extra fear on the local residents.