by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (Worthy News) – Nearly 100 Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have reportedly been killed in three attacks in less than three weeks in Ethiopia’s troubled central Oromia region, despite appeals from Church leaders for government protection.
At least 34 believers were killed Thursday when gunmen attacked Endato village in the East Arsi Zone of Oromia, according to Ethiopian media reports cited by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.
Ethiopian news outlet Borkena reported that residents and Church representatives gathered the bodies of 34 victims at Endato Debre Mitmaq St. Mary Church following the assault. Several other people were injured; shops and homes were set ablaze, according to local sources.
Witnesses said security personnel responding to the violence were also attacked, while blocked roads prevented some wounded residents from reaching medical facilities. The death toll was expected to rise as recovery efforts continued. There was no immediate confirmation of who carried out Thursday’s attack or whether any suspects had been detained.
CHURCH DEMANDS PROTECTION
The latest killings followed two massacres on October 20 and 24 that left at least 60 Orthodox Christians dead, as Worthy News reported earlier, bringing the combined reported death toll to at least 94.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said 14 believers were killed in Merti district on October 20 and another 46 in neighboring Shirka district four days later. More than 20 people were seriously injured, and at least 20 homes were destroyed, the church said.
Its Holy Synod condemned the attacks on October 26 and urged authorities to protect Christian communities, investigate the killings and prosecute those responsible.
The World Council of Churches shared those concerns, saying that earlier attacks in the area since late May had reportedly killed another 37 to 40 people, with churches burned or otherwise destroyed and hundreds displaced.
MASSACRE RESPONSIBILITY DISPUTED
It urged Ethiopia’s federal and regional authorities to strengthen protection for vulnerable communities and ensure independent investigations into the bloodshed.
However, responsibility for the October massacres remains disputed. Regional authorities blamed an armed rebel alliance that includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), while a source linked to the alliance accused government forces.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on Wednesday attributed the earlier attacks to the OLA, according to Anadolu Agency. Authorities reportedly arrested nearly 70 suspects during subsequent security operations.
The OLA, which split from the Oromo Liberation Front after refusing to disarm in 2018, has waged an insurgency against Ethiopian government forces. It is demanding greater self-determination for the Oromo people and an end to what it describes as their political and economic marginalization.
ARMED CONFLICT CONTINUES
The OLA is an Oromo nationalist group whose fighters have attacked government troops, police and local officials. Its fighters have also faced accusations of massacring ethnic Amhara civilians in Oromia, allegations the group has denied in some cases.
Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church has historically been closely associated with the Amhara community and the country’s political establishment. Some armed Oromo nationalist factions view that relationship as part of a system that marginalized Oromo people, although many Oromo people are themselves Orthodox Christians.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project (ACLED), about one-third of 193 incidents targeting civilians in Oromia’s Arsi Zone since February 2023 involved Orthodox Christian residents.
The World Council of Churches has emphasized that victims include both Amhara and Oromo Orthodox Christians, highlighting the overlapping ethnic and religious tensions.
ETHIOPIA’S RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE
Christians and Muslims each account for nearly half of Oromia’s population, according to Ethiopia’s last national census in 2007, with Orthodox believers representing the largest Christian denomination.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of Africa’s oldest Christian institutions, has more than 30 million followers.
Its leaders have repeatedly warned that continued attacks threaten the lives and religious freedom of believers across parts of Ethiopia.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
