In Ethiopia’s Highlands, a Week of Attacks Leaves a Community Counting Its Dead

At least 60 people were killed in two attacks in Ethiopia’s Oromia region over the past week, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Church said the victims were Christians, but its statement did not identify who carried out the attacks or explain how they happened.

The Church’s Holy Synod said 14 people were killed in Merti district on 20 October and 46 in Shirka district on 24 October. It also reported that more than 20 homes were burned and more than 20 people were hospitalised with severe injuries. These figures are the Church’s account; the death toll has not been independently confirmed.

Residents who spoke to BBC Amharic described the Shirka attack as an ambush. One man said his 75-year-old father was among those killed. BBC Amharic reported witnesses saying at least five of the victims were children. Residents have fled the area amid continuing insecurity.

A local church official described the violence in three parts of Shirka district as a massacre and said security forces arrived but were unable to stop the attack. The accounts add detail to the Church’s statement, while independent verification remains difficult.

Responsibility is disputed. The Oromia regional government accused a newly formed rebel alliance of carrying out the attacks to provoke religious conflict, but did not provide evidence in its statement. A source linked to the alliance blamed the regional government, citing conversations with local residents. Neither account has been independently established.

The Oromo Liberation Army, which the regional government has blamed for earlier attacks on Orthodox Christians, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The group is one of seven armed organisations that announced an alliance last month aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.

The Orthodox Church condemned the killings and said violence against Christians had been increasing. It said it had repeatedly raised concerns about insecurity with authorities at different levels, and called for civilian protection and accountability.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Council said in a July report that 458 people had been killed and 38 were unaccounted for in Arsi over the previous four years. A local church servant described the latest attacks as the largest toll he had seen in the area; the figures come from separate reports and should not be read as a single independently verified count.

For families left behind, the exchange of accusations cannot bring back a parent or child or restore a burned home. The immediate questions are whether residents can return safely and whether an investigation will establish who was responsible.