Orthodox Villages Torched – Horror in Ethiopia

wooden church pews in sunlight — Photo: Maleo / Shutterstock

More than 60 Orthodox Christians were killed in two attacks in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, with homes torched and survivors wounded, church officials said.

Story Snapshot

Church leaders reported 60+ killed in two October attacks in Oromia.
Victims were Orthodox Christians; homes were burned and many were injured.
Conflict monitors logged a similar October 24 attack with 40–60 dead.
Officials urged protection and accountability as investigations continue.

What Happened in Oromia’s Arsi Zone

Church officials said two assaults hit Orthodox Christian communities in the Arsi area of Oromia in late October 2023. Fourteen people were killed in Merti district on October 20. Forty-six more were killed in Shirka district on October 24, for at least 60 dead in five days. The Holy Synod also reported serious injuries and burned homes tied to these events. The figures align with separate news reports citing church sources and local clergy.

Independent conflict data recorded an armed group attack on civilians in Arsi on October 24. That incident left between 40 and 60 people dead and more than 31 injured, matching the reported date and scale of the second attack. The same conflict dataset shows frequent civilian targeting in Arsi through 2023. Several such incidents occurred in October before the mass killing on the twenty-fourth, underscoring a broader pattern of risk to local residents.

Who Was Targeted and How Communities Were Hit

The Holy Synod said the victims were Orthodox Christians and called the killings brutal. Reports described homes set on fire and people wounded during the assaults. Local accounts identified specific localities within Merti and Shirka, and noted damage to property and, in some cases, church sites. These details track with past patterns in Arsi where religious communities, including Orthodox residents, have faced repeated attacks by unidentified armed groups.

Church officials focused on civilian protection and justice. They urged authorities to secure villages, investigate the crimes, and bring those responsible to court. Humanitarian and rights reporting on Ethiopia also stresses the need for accountability as violence has harmed many civilians across regions in recent years. That wider context frames the urgency around protecting worshipers and families in Oromia’s mixed rural areas.

Attribution, Motive, and the Broader Pattern of Violence

A local official quoted in reporting blamed a new rebel coalition that includes the Oromo Liberation Army. The Holy Synod did not name a perpetrator in its statement. The Oromo Liberation Army did not comment in the cited reports. Authorities have not released a final public investigation tying a named group to these two attacks. Coverage therefore centers on the confirmed deaths, injuries, and destroyed property, while inquiries continue.

Sixty Orthodox Christians have reportedly been murdered in two attacks in Ethiopia in just five days.

According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, fourteen people were killed in Oromia on 20 October, followed by another forty-six on 24 October. More than twenty others…

— Mark Lambert (@sitsio) October 28, 2026

United States reporting on international religious freedom documented earlier allegations of Oromo Liberation Army members attacking Protestant churches in western Oromia and killing members of the Evangelical Mekane Yesus Church. That record shows that faith communities in Oromia have faced real danger. Conflict trackers also show that most civilian targeting in Arsi involves unidentified armed groups, which makes fast attribution difficult during active unrest.