“A lot of Highlanders came, followed by Ethiopian government soldiers.
My Pop opened the window and he said ‘I’m a pastor, why are
you looking for me?’ They said ‘We are searching for you.
You are the one we are looking for.’ He said ‘Okay, let me
finish my prayer.’ At that time the house was starting to burn
because they threw two bombs into the house. The furniture was burning.
“When he finished
he ran out the window. They pursued after him and killed him with an
axe. There were three soldiers in
uniform. One
guy who had come to visit my Dad, they shot him in the back. When he
fell down they poured gas on him and they burned him. The guy was absolutely
roasted.
“Two members of the choir were praying and the soldiers said, ‘We
are going to blow up the church.’ Then when the choir members were
running out of the church, the soldiers shot them in the back.
“My cousin,
they shot him in the face. He was a little guy. He was really angry
when he realized that his father was
killed. So he came
out the house really angry, and when he came out they shot him the face.
“The military used guns, the Highlanders uses machetes, spears,
and axes. The Highlanders were our neighbors. We used to even share coffee
together. I can’t explain it. It really hurts for me even to say
it. They cut you just like a tree. A person you used to live with, they
killed you like a dog. It’s unbelievable.
“It’s something that just seems unreal. I still can’t
believe it. It’s like a dream when I think about it.”