World

Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church Reports 60 Deaths in Two Oromia Attacks

By AP

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s Holy Synod announced on Monday, October 26, 2026, that two attacks in the Oromia region’s Arsi Zone killed at least 60 Orthodox Christians. Fourteen people were killed in Merti district on October 20, and 46 were killed in Shirka district on October 24. The church said more than 20 people were seriously wounded and 20 homes were burned. It described the killings as “brutal and merciless massacres” and urged authorities to protect civilians and bring those responsible to justice.

Oromia regional government spokesperson Hailu Adugna blamed the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) for the attacks, alleging that the rebels and their allies were provoking ethnic and religious conflict to distract from military losses in northern Ethiopia. Adugna said regional authorities had begun taking action against those responsible and pledged assistance to the wounded and displaced. The OLA could not be reached for comment. Its leader, Jaal Marroo, had denied in a February interview with The Associated Press that his fighters target civilians, stating, “Our war is not against the people.”

The OLA is one of seven groups in the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, formed in September to challenge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Other members include the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano National Movement.

The church said the attacks violated constitutional protections for religious freedom and the right to life, calling on authorities to publicly condemn the killings and prevent further violence. Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest region with about 40 million people, has experienced conflict between government forces and the OLA since 2018, with other armed groups and criminal gangs also operating in the area. United Nations investigators have accused the OLA of killings, rapes and kidnappings, while human rights monitors have documented abuses by government forces, including indiscriminate drone strikes, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

Sarah Kimani, Amnesty International’s media manager, told the AP in a January interview that the organization’s research documents summary executions, torture, abductions and rape by both government forces and the OLA. She said internet blackouts and restrictions on independent media and civil society concealed the extent of civilian suffering, adding, “What we have been able to document now is just the tip of the iceberg.”