A new jihad

Horn of Africa | Attacks on Christians in Ethiopia could signal a new African conflict | Mindy Belz

On Oct. 9 Somali jihadists declared holy war against Horn of Africa rival Ethiopia. But for days before the pronouncement, church leaders in southwestern Ethiopia already had discovered they were locked in battle with radical Islamists. Locals say the radicals include Somalis. If true, the clashes could mark the beginning of a dangerous new regional conflict.

For weeks a group of over 300 men whom locals described as "Muslim fundamentalists" were training in a remote area outside the city of Jima, 250 miles southwest of Addis Ababa. According to eyewitnesses, the group has included a number of Somalis. Government forces, alarmed by their activities, arrested several of the leaders. But when the remainder organized themselves and—armed with machetes and knives—attacked Christian churches and villages, the government did little to stop them.