60 Christians killed in Ethiopia

Please pray following yet more deadly attacks on Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia.

At least 60 Christians have been killed in attacks in Ethiopia’s volatile Oromia region.

The violent incidents took place 20-24 October, when armed groups surrounded Orthodox communities in the administrative areas of Merti and Shirka.

Victims include women, children and the elderly. More than 20 people were injured, while 20 homes were set alight and multiple businesses destroyed. Fourteen people are reported to have been killed on 20 October in Merti, with 46 killed four days later in Shirka.

A deeply troubling trend

The incidents follow a trend of attacks against Orthodox Christians in Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest and most populous region.

In February, armed attackers stormed a market and church in the east Arsi, killing more than 20 Orthodox Christians and one Muslim guard.

In May, at least 12 Orthodox Christians were killed in multiple attacks in the predominantly Muslim community in Arsi Zone. Properties were burned down along with the 101-year-old Telata St Gabriel Church. More than 280 people were displaced.

According to Africa News, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said the violence was ‘believed to be religiously motivated and to have targeted Orthodox Christians’, citing the reported looting of an Orthodox church.

ACLED said attacks against Orthodox Christians in the region had increased since February 2023, with the violence intensifying particularly over the past year.

A volatile region

The possible involvement of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) – the main insurgent group in Oromia and part of the seven-group Alliance for Survival – has not been established. Neither the authorities, nor the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC), have identified or named a group responsible.

Oromia has been the centre of a long-running insurgency involving the OLA, as well as the scene of recurring inter-communal tensions between Muslim, Protestant and Orthodox communities.

These attacks are happening in the context of the wider conflict in northern Ethiopia, where the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia’s federal government are currently fighting. The TPLF joined the seven-group Alliance for Survival aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is from Oromo.

The OLA is not affiliated with a particular faith group and their primary ideology focuses on Oromo self-determination, political autonomy and resistance against the Ethiopian government.

Complex history

Many Oromo people are said to believe that anyone following Orthodox Christianity belongs to the Amhara people. This is a misconception, as Orthodox Christians are prevalent among many ethnic groups in Ethiopia, including the Oromo, Tigrayan and Gurage people.

However, Amhara people are targeted for both their ethnic identity and their adherence to Orthodox Christianity. These challenges stem from a complex combination of historical tensions, political exclusion and cultural differences, all of which have been exacerbated by recent political developments in Ethiopia.

These attacks reinforce the vulnerability of many Christians not only in Ethiopia – which is 36^th on the World Watch List – but in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. If you’ve yet to already, please sign and share the Arise Africa petition, which calls for protection, justice and restoration for our persecuted family in the region. There is still time to do this before the deadline on Monday 2 November. Thank you.