In brief
Ethiopia’s eastern Oromia region has witnessed a surge in violence against Christian communities, with over 60 deaths reported in recent days. Church leaders label the assaults a massacre, while the government vows action and blames a new rebel coalition that has denied involvement. Human‑rights reports highlight a pattern of targeted killings amid escalating ethnic and religious tensions. The attacks come as Ethiopia grapples with broader instability, underscoring the need for urgent protection for all minorities.
Ethiopia’s Christian communities face a wave of violence. Police records from the Oromia region show that more than 60 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks on churches and religious sites this month.
A resident, who lost his 75‑year‑old father, says the militants ambushed them without warning, surrounding the family from all directions. “We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge,” he told the BBC in Amharic.
The regional government said it would pursue those responsible and vowed increased security. Still, officials blamed a newly formed coalition, the Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The OLA has denied carrying out such attacks, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has said it does not know who is responsible.
In a statement to its Facebook page, the Holy Synod said that 20 houses were set ablaze and that the assaults had shaken Ethiopia’s values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. It added that authorities have heard repeated warnings but provided no concrete response.
Reports from the Ethiopian Human Rights Council reveal that 458 people were killed in the area over the past four years, with the current incident ranking as the deadliest event in that timeframe. The report cites a pattern of religiously motivated killings primarily targeting Christian communities.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has linked the violence to destabilisation plans and accused the OLA of orchestrating attacks on civilians and religious institutions. The group maintains it is fighting for greater rights for the Oromo people, denying any involvement.
Violence is not limited to Christians. Residents have also reported attacks against Muslims, underscoring a broader ethnic and religious conflict that has been simmering for years in Ethiopia’s diverse society.
About two‑thirds of Ethiopians identify as Christians—mostly with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church—while roughly one third are Muslims, reflecting the country’s complex demographic mosaic.
With many residents fleeing the Shirka district, the international community is urged to intervene to protect civilians and hold those responsible for the massacres accountable.
