Vigil for massacres in Tigray - Ethiopia on March 27th, 2021 in Witten town Germany
The Etiopia-Witten e.V. association and the Witten Citizens' Forum were available for questions from the numerous interested parties on the Witten Town Hall Square from 12:00 to 13:00
The board member of the Etiopia-Witten e.V. association, the deacon Jürgen Jeremia Lechelt, reports on the vigil
Today at noon we had a vigil “Humanitarian aid immediately! Stop the massacre in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia! ” Held in front of the Witten town hall.
Despite the bad weather, around 80 people came, representatives of the parties, organizations, institutions, citizens of Witten, and many from our association.
Harald Kahl, as chairman of the bürgerforumwitten, was the first to speak and referred to and read out the two resolutions of the council of the city of Witten and the district council of the Kreistag Ennepe-Ruhr district.
Lars König, CDU and Mayor of the City of Witten, promised in his welcoming address that the City of Witten, together with the City of Gotha, will continue to maintain its efforts and exert its political influence until the goal of a ceasefire and the approval of humanitarian aid is reached.
Ahmedin Idris, chairman of the Etiopia-Witten association, described in moving words the course of the war since November 2020, with all the massacres, displacement, and looting. The contact with Ayder Hospital in the university of the capital of Tigray, Mekelle, is steadily stabilizing and the association has meanwhile been able to transfer €27,000 in donations. Unfortunately, until now, there has been no news from the schools that Etiopia Witten has helped to set up and supervised in Tigray for years. In the end, he called for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of a humanitarian aid corridor.
This vigil is an important sign of concern for the people in Tigray, and we will continue to keep in touch with the people in Mekelle and Tigray.
Even if much of our work has been destroyed, we will, when it is possible again, go to Mekelle (Tigray) and continue our work there.
Humanitarian Aid Immediately
Stop Massacre in Tigray/Ethiopia
(translation from German for Etiopia-Witten by Dr. Christian Leuner)
Since November 2020, the Ethiopian central government has been taking military action against the people of the Tigray region and our twin town Mekelle. Reports of atrocities are increasing every day.
Amnesty International and UN organizations are alarming that there has been a brutal attack on the civilian population is coming and genocide is to be feared. Refugee flows to Sudan, mass misery of the population is the result, and a severe famine is looming.
We Witten individual personalities and organizations protest in the strongest possible terms against these crimes against humanity.
That is why we are calling for:
1. An immediate ceasefire
2. Establishment of a humanitarian corridor
3. Negotiations to find a political solution
Our concern, anger and outrage are particularly important in the context that the more than 10 years of development work of the etiopia association Witten e. V. has been undone in this war.
Hospital facilities and school buildings, which many Witten citizens have supported and funded with with great efforts were robbed and partly destroyed.
The vigil will be held in compliance in strict Corona Protection rules and take place in admonishing silence with candles and banners, supplemented by the speeches of the Mayor Lars König, Ahmedin Idris for Etiopia-Witten e. V. and Harald Kahl for the voters' association bürgerforumwitten.
More Information from www.etiopia-witten.de, www.amnesty.de
In addition to the initiators Etiopia-Witten e.V. and the electorate
citizens' forum we support the vigil: Mayor Lars König and organizations from Witten such as Christian Democratic Union Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Alliance 90/ The Greens, Free Democratic Party, Pirates Party, Citizens of Witten Community, The Party, Friends of Witten-Kursk, Julia Holtz (Superintendent of the Evangelical Church District Witten-Hattingen), Partnership Association, Help-Kursk e.V.
The demands are supported with similar formulations by 57 members of the Witten City Council with their signature, the Ennepe-Ruhr district council unanimously, the Witten Peace Forum and the DFG / VK Witten / Hagen
Responsible for the content: Harald Kahl, Dorfstr.1, 58455 Witten