Aljazeera published on 9 November 2023 an article titled "Ethiopian Troops Force Armed Group Out of Orthodox Site of Lalibela."
Fierce fighting on 8 November between the Amhara Fano militia and Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) resulted in Fano control of much of this UNESCO world heritage site. The ENDF regained control of Lalibela on 9 November.
Deutsche Welle posted on 5 February 2022 a five minute video titled "Ethiopia's Tigray Conflict: Peace Remains Elusive."
The video was filmed in and around Lalibela after Tigray Defense Forces retreated to Tigray Region.
The BBC posted an article on 1 December 2021 titled "Ethiopia's Tigray Conflict: Lalibela Retaken - Government."
The BBC reports that Ethiopian National Defense Forces have retaken Lalibela from the Tigrayan Defense Forces. The article also reports the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The BBC posted on 4 October 2021 an article titled "Ethiopia Tigray Crisis: From Monk to Soldier - How War Has Split a Church" by Fasikaw Menberu and Farouk Chathia.
Most Amhara and Tigrayans are members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC). The current Patriarch of the EOC is an ethnic Tigrayan. The conflict in Ethiopia has increasingly become a conflict between Tigrayans and Amhara, ethnic groups whose regions border each other. This conflict has also led to a split in the EOC.
Aljazeera English TV ran a three minute segment with me on 5 August 2021 on the capture of Lalibela, a World Heritage Site in Amhara Region, by the Tigray Defense Forces.
I argued that Lalibela holds little military value for the Tigray Defense Forces. Its capture was probably an effort to put pressure on Amhara militia and Ethiopian National Defense Forces to return to the Tigrayans the World Heritage Site of Aksum in western Tigray in exchange for withdrawing from Lalibela in Amhara Region.
Reuters published on 5 August 2021 an article titled "Tigrayan Forces Take Control of Ethiopia's Lalibela, a UN World Heritage Site."
The Washington Post published on 5 August 2021 an article titled "Tigrayan Forces Take Control of Lalibela UNESCO Heritage Site" by Sammy Westfall.
The Tigray Defense Force reportedly entered the town of Lalibela and World Heritage Site on 5 August without facing any opposition, although numerous Amhara residents fled the area. The US called on the Tigrayan forces to respect the cultural heritage of the town and earlier had urged Tigrayan forces to withdraw from Amhara Region. At the beginning of the conflict, Amhara militia and central government forces took control of historically significant Aksum in western Tigray Region.
CBS News 60 Minute program ran a 13 minute video titled "Lalibela: 11 Churches, Each Sculpted Out of a Single Block of Stone 800 Years Ago" with Scot Pelley.
This is a wonderful tribute during the Christmas season to Ethiopia during a particularly troubled time.
