Church Says 60 Christians Killed in Attacks in Ethiopia's Oromia Region
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said 14 people were killed in Merti district on October 20 and 46 in Shirka district on October 24. More than 20 people were seriously wounded and 20 homes were burned.
At least 60 Christians were killed in two attacks in Ethiopia's Oromia region last week, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said Monday. The church's Holy Synod put the toll at 14 in Merti district on October 20 and 46 in Shirka district on October 24. Both districts are in the Arsi Zone, about 120 miles south of Addis Ababa.
More than 20 people were hospitalized with serious injuries, the church said. Twenty homes were burned to the ground. The church described the killings as brutal massacres and called on the government to protect civilians and bring those responsible to justice.
What survivors described
Survivors told BBC Amharic the Shirka attack came at dawn, after men who had kept watch through the night had gone home to rest. One resident, whose 75-year-old father was killed, said the attackers surrounded them from all sides. "We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge," he said. "They surrounded us from all four directions."
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that five of those killed were children. A church official in the district called the killings a massacre and said security forces reached the area but could not stop the assault. Many residents have since fled their homes, and local accounts say the victims were buried together in a single grave at a church in Chole.
The casualty figures come from the church's statement, the latest account reported. Early local reports varied slightly, with one outlet's interviews putting the Shirka toll higher. No independently verified count has been established from the remote area.
Who is blamed
No group has claimed responsibility. The Oromia regional government blamed the Oromo Liberation Army and its allies, saying the attacks were meant to provoke ethnic and religious conflict. The regional government presented no evidence for that claim.
A source linked to a rebel alliance told Reuters the regional government itself carried out the killings, citing conversations with two local residents. That claim has also not been independently substantiated.
The Oromo Liberation Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment on these attacks. The group has denied carrying out similar attacks in the past. Its leader told the Associated Press in February that his fighters do not target civilians.
The OLA is one of seven armed groups that formed an alliance last month with the stated aim of removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. The regional government has blamed the group for previous attacks on Orthodox Christians.
What the church is asking for
The Holy Synod's statement, read Monday at the start of its plenary assembly in Addis Ababa, said the killings violated constitutional protections for religious freedom and the right to life. It called on authorities to publicly condemn the attacks, to strengthen protection for threatened communities, and to make sure those behind them face justice.
The Oromia regional government said it had begun taking action against those responsible and pledged assistance to the wounded and displaced. The church asked for extra protection to be sent to the affected communities, and for steps to prevent further violence.
