In the Shirka district of Ethiopia's Oromia region, a series of attacks across three areas has left more than sixty people dead, among them five children, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which has called the violence a massacre. The toll has not yet been confirmed by authorities, and the perpetrators remain a matter of dispute, with one local official pointing to a rebel coalition while the group named has denied involvement. It is one more chapter in a long, grieving record of violence in a region where faith and ethnicity have increasingly become entangled, and where ordinary fam
More than 60 Christians killed in Ethiopia attacks, church says; Oromia violence blamed on rebel coalition
More than 60 people were killed, including five children, 20 houses were burnt, and many residents have fled the area.
"They surrounded us from all four directions."
Mark
Why does this attack stand out when there have been so many in the area?
Mimi
The Church puts the toll above 60, and the rights council counted 458 deaths over four years. By that measure this is one of the deadliest single attacks in the period.
Luke
But the 60-plus figure is the Church's. Authorities haven't confirmed it, so it should be read as attributed.
Mark
Who is responsible?
Mimi
A local official blamed the Alliance for Survival, a new coalition that includes the OLA. The OLA hasn't commented on this one and has denied earlier attacks.
Luke
And the Church's statement didn't name anyone. So the blame comes from one official, not from an investigation we've seen.
Mark
What did the man who lost his father describe?
Mimi
An ambush from four directions, with no warning. Five of the dead were children, according to eyewitnesses.
Luke
Those are eyewitness accounts to BBC Amharic, not an official count. We also don't know how many people have fled.
Mark
Is this only about Christians?
Mimi
Earlier reports documented attacks on Muslims there too, and residents call the violence both ethnic and religious.
Luke
Which means the motive is still contested, even though the rights council used the phrase religiously motivated.
Der Puls
- Armed attackers surrounded villagers from all four directions with no warning, turning ordinary days into an ambush.
- More than sixty people are dead, five of them children, and twenty houses have been burnt to the ground.
- Residents are fleeing the area as security forces reached the scene but could not halt the assault.
- The Church has pleaded for solutions after repeated complaints to officials, saying so far there has been none.
- The regional government has pledged action, but the death toll is unconfirmed and the families who fled have yet to return.
In the Shirka district of Ethiopia's Oromia region, a series of attacks across three areas has left more than sixty people dead, among them five children, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which has called the violence a massacre. The toll has not yet been confirmed by authorities, and the perpetrators remain a matter of dispute, with one local official pointing to a rebel coalition while the group named has denied involvement. It is one more chapter in a long, grieving record of violence in a region where faith and ethnicity have increasingly become entangled, and where ordinary families are now choosing flight over the places they called home.
A man whose 75-year-old father was killed in Ethiopia's Oromia region told BBC Amharic that the family had no warning at all. "They surrounded us from all four directions," he said. What he describes was an ambush, carried out across three areas of the Shirka district.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church says more than sixty people were killed, and that twenty houses were burnt to the ground. Eyewitnesses told BBC Amharic that five of the dead were children. The Church's figures have not been confirmed by authorities. Church officials called the violence a massacre and said security forces arrived but could not stop it.
A local official blamed the Alliance for Survival, a newly formed rebel coalition that includes the Oromo Liberation Army. The OLA has not commented on this episode and has denied carrying out earlier attacks of this kind. The Church, for its part, says attacks on Christians have been rising and that it has raised its concerns with authorities at every level without result.
The pattern is not new. A July 2026 report by the Ethiopian Human Rights Council counted 458 deaths in the area over four years. Residents have described the violence as both ethnic and religious, and earlier reports have documented attacks on Muslims there too. Many families have now fled. The government has promised to act against those responsible, and the coming weeks will show whether that promise, an independent count of the dead, and the return of those displaced become real.
A man whose 75-year-old father was killed in Ethiopia's Oromia region told BBC Amharic that there was no warning. "We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge," he said. "They surrounded us from all four directions." He described what happened as an ambush.
The attacks hit three areas of the Shirka district. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, more than 60 people were killed. The Church's Holy Synod said 20 houses were burnt to the ground. Eyewitnesses told BBC Amharic that five of the dead were children. The toll comes from the Church; authorities have not confirmed it.
A church official called the violence a "massacre" and said security forces reached the scene but could not stop the assault. Many residents have since fled the area. The regional government said it would take action against those responsible.
The Synod's statement did not say who carried out the attacks. A local official did: he blamed a newly formed rebel coalition called the Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army, or OLA. The OLA has not commented on this episode. It has denied carrying out earlier attacks of this kind.
The Church said attacks on Christians had been rising recently. It said such actions "undermine the country's values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence." In a Facebook statement, it said it had repeatedly raised its concerns about insecurity with authorities at different levels of government, but that "so far there has been no solution."
There is a documented record behind the Church's complaint. The Ethiopian Human Rights Council, a non-governmental organisation, said in a report released in July 2026 that 458 people had been killed in attacks in that area over the previous four years. This latest attack is among the deadliest in that period. The report said armed groups had repeatedly targeted local communities, particularly followers of the Orthodox Church, in attacks it described as religiously motivated.
The government has previously blamed the OLA for such violence. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said that attacks on civilians and religious institutions are part of a plan to destabilise the country. The OLA says it is fighting for greater rights for the Oromo people, and denies the allegations.
The picture is not limited to one faith. Earlier reports have documented attacks on Muslims in the same area, and residents who have spoken to the BBC on various occasions have described the violence as both ethnic and religious in nature. About two-thirds of Ethiopians are Christians, mostly Orthodox, and about one third are Muslim.
What to watch next: whether the regional government's pledge turns into action, whether the death toll is independently confirmed, and whether the families who fled are able to return.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions.— Resident whose 75-year-old father was killed, to BBC Amharic
Attacks against Christians had been increasing, and repeated concerns raised with authorities had brought no solution so far.— Ethiopian Orthodox Church (paraphrased)
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei BBC News ↗
Politics & Governance