The church's figure of more than 60 dead is the highest count so far, and the sources don't agree on the number. The attacks hit Christian villages in Shirka district, in Oromia (Arsi area), over the weekend of October 24. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, through its Holy Synod, says 20 houses were burned and that five of the dead were children. A church official called it a "massacre" and said security forces reached the scene but could not stop the assault. Residents and the conflict monitor ACLED gave AFP a lower count of at least 43 killed and 18 wounded, and one resident put it at 51. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the attackers surrounded villages from four sides. A local official blamed the Alliance for Survival, a new rebel coalition that includes the Oromo Liberation Army. The OLA has not commented on this attack and has denied similar ones before. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has linked attacks on civilians and churches to a plan to destabilise the country. The church says attacks on Christians have risen recently and that its warnings to authorities have gone unanswered. Nobody has independently confirmed who carried out this attack, and the death toll is still unsettled. Oromia has a long insurgency and also has reported attacks on Muslims, so the wider pattern is worth reading in full. The Nation's report from October 27 is a useful, sourced starting point: 60 Christians killed in Ethiopia 'massacre', church official says. If you're following this, add what you know about the region or any later reports from the area.
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🕒 As of October 2026
