Centre for Human Rights Education

Curtin University
GPO Box U1987
Western Australia 6845

8 August 2021
To Ms Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General
Dr Mechtild Rössler, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Heritage Division
Urgent call to protect world heritage: Make Lalibela a war free zone
I am writing this letter to call on UNESCO to initiate urgent negotiations to ensure the safety of the world
heritage site in Lalibela, Ethiopia, due to the ongoing armed conflict in the area. On 5 August 2021,
military forces from Tigray took control of the town of Lalibela. There was no armed confrontation during
their takeover. However, I’m deeply concerned that a possible conflict near the holy churches could lead
to the unintentional destruction of the heritage.
I am a human rights scholar who has researched the history and traditions of the Lalibela churches and
its community. I also grew up in Lalibela and know firsthand how important the churches are to everyone
in the town and to Ethiopia and the world as a whole. Lalibela is a UNESCO registered world heritage
site. In recent years, the churches have been exposed to numerous natural and human made dangers.
UNESCO’s mission report in 2018 identified serious risks posed by the erection of heavy shelters over
five of the churches. Due to this, the drying and cracking of the churches has increased the risks of
collapse. Heavy sound and loud movement in the area could cause vibrations that may seriously
damage the monuments.
With the current military tension in the area, I am deeply concerned that any exchange of fire near and
around Lalibela would risk destroying the churches. The Ethiopian Government and the Tigray armed
forces should refrain from engaging militarily in and around Lalibela. I believe both parties should do this
for the sake of this unique and global heritage that belongs to the past, present and future generations.
During war, cultural property is protected under customary international law. The 1954 Hague
Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict with Regulations for the
Execution of the Convention declares that “damage to cultural property belonging to any people
whatsoever means damage to the cultural heritage of all mankind”. Ethiopia acceded to the Convention
on 31 August 2015. The Convention affords protection including during “conflicts not of an international
character” and enables UNESCO to “offer its services to the parties to the conflict” (Art 19).
I urge UNESCO to swiftly act in negotiating special protection mechanisms with all concerned parties.
These mechanisms should include agreements to allow local priests and traditional custodians to
maintain their place around the churches, to ban looting of the sacred items inside the churches, and to
ensure no conflict occurs in or around the church complexes. Since the Lalibela churches are carved
from the ground stone which is part of the nearby villages, and the surrounding mountains and villages
are full of heritage properties, such special protection should aim at making the entire holy town of
Lalibela a war free zone.
Kind Regards,
Dr Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes
Phd, MA, LLB
Senior Lecturer | Centre for Human Rights Education
Curtin University

Tel | +61 8 9266 7169

Email | yirga.woldeyes@curtin.edu.au
Web | www.curtin.edu.au