Attacks kill more than 60 Christians in Ethiopia, church says
Oromia’s government pledged action against those responsible. The church says 20 houses were burned and called for residents to be protected.
Loading… Բեռնվում է…
Oromia’s government pledged action against those responsible. The church says 20 houses were burned and called for residents to be protected.
Christian communities in Ethiopia’s Oromia region suffered deadly attacks , and 20 homes were burned to the ground, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s Holy Synod said in an account published by BBC on 26 October 2026. A church official described attacks across three areas of Shirka district and said security forces arrived but could not stop the assault. Many residents fled.
The violence followed earlier attacks in Shirka and Honkolo Wabe between 12 and 17 October, when the church said at least six people were killed and five abducted. The church said attacks against Christians were increasing and undermining mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. It said repeated appeals to authorities had brought no solution.
A resident whose 75-year-old father was killed told BBC Amharic that the attackers ambushed residents who were unprepared and surrounded them from four directions. An eyewitness said 5 of those killed were children.
The BBC’s account gave no precise attack dates. A more specific statement from the Holy Synod, the church’s highest body, published by The Abay Times on 26 October 2026, gave this breakdown:
| Location | Date | Reported deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Gora Silingo, Merti district |
Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said three sea drones struck the ship off Bulgaria on 28 October. Bulgarian authorities confirmed its sinking after the crew’s rescue.
| 20 October |
| 14 |
| Chole and Birbo, Shirka district | 24 October | 46 |
That account totals 60, rather than the broader figure in the BBC account. Citing its local diocese, the Synod also said more than 20 people were seriously injured and taken to hospital.
The Centre for Information Resilience verified footage and established the location of a mass burial near St Rufael’s Orthodox Church in Chole. It counted at least 33 bodies, a minimum consistent with—but not independently confirming—the reported Shirka toll. The organization said it could not independently verify the killings themselves or establish the perpetrators' motives.
A local official blamed the newly formed rebel coalition Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army. The church’s statement did not identify those responsible. The armed opposition group says it fights for greater rights for the Oromo people; it had not commented on these attacks when the BBC published its account, although it had denied responsibility for earlier attacks.
Oromia’s regional government said it would take action against those responsible. The Synod called for residents to be protected and perpetrators brought to justice. It said it would hold talks with senior government officials and directed the formation of a committee of clergy, church scholars and legal experts to study a lasting solution.
The Centre for Information Resilience said it would also try to establish the burial’s timing more precisely when satellite imagery became available.
2 min
The war-crimes conviction stands, but the court acquits the former Liberian commander of crimes against humanity because Switzerland introduced that offense after his crimes.
3 min
HayPass opened its first office at Yerevan Mall on 31 October 2026. Armenia’s Interior Ministry said on 2 November that thousands had preregistered online and were arriving for services.
2 min