In brief
Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church has announced that it has lost more than 60 Christian lives in a series of brutal attacks carried out in the Oromia region, marking the deadliest assault on the faith in recent years. Families describe the killings as ambushes with no warning, and 20 houses were set ablaze. While local officials blame the Alliance for Survival, a newly-formed rebel coalition that includes the Oromo Liberation Army, the group has denied responsibility. The government has pledged action, but the Church says security forces were unable to stop the onslaught, and it condemns the violence as a threat to national cohesion.
More than 60 people have been killed in attacks on Christians in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, according to the country's Orthodox Church.
One resident’s 75‑year‑old father was among those slain; he described the assault as an ambush, saying, “We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions,” the man told BBC Amharic.
The regional government said it would “take action against those responsible,” while a local official blamed the attacks on a newly formed rebel coalition, the Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The OLA has denied accountability.
The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church declared that 20 houses were burned to the ground during the attacks, though it has not named the perpetrators.
Eyewitnesses report that five of the victims were children.
A church official called the attacks in three areas of the Shirka district a “massacre,” noting that security forces arrived too late to stop the assault.
Many residents have fled the area, and the Church has condemned the violence, saying it undermines Ethiopia’s values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
In a Facebook statement, the Church reiterated its long‑standing concerns about insecurity at various levels of government, noting a lack of effective solutions to date.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council’s July 2026 report documented 458 deaths in attacks in the region over the preceding four years, making this incident the worst in that period.
The report highlighted that armed groups repeatedly target local communities and Christian followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, describing the attacks as religiously motivated.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has previously blamed the OLA for orchestrating violence against civilians and religious institutions, calling it part of a strategy to destabilise the country. The OLA denies these allegations, arguing it fights for greater rights for the Oromo people.
Earlier incidents in the area have also targeted Muslim communities, with residents describing the violence as both ethnic and religious.
About two‑thirds of Ethiopia’s population are Christians—predominantly Orthodox—while one‑third are Muslim.
Attacks against Christians have been increasing recently, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Source: BBC News
