Armed Attacks Kill Dozens of Christians in Ethiopia

Gunmen killed at least 60 people and wounded dozens of others during coordinated weekend raids targeting Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia's Oromia region, according to church officials and local residents.

The violence struck multiple areas in the Arsi Zone, leaving 20 houses burned to the ground and forcing frightened survivors to hide while emergency responders treated the injured in nearby hospitals.

The bloodshed marks a severe escalation in long-running regional instability that has plagued Ethiopia's largest administrative area, where armed factions frequently clash and civilians face persistent security threats.

Survivors described harrowing accounts of the assault as armed individuals descended upon the communities without warning from multiple directions.

"We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions," said one resident whose 75-year-old father was killed.

The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church condemned the assault, characterizing the killings as brutal and merciless massacres while noting that attacks against Christians have increased recently.

The church stated that regional authorities failed to provide adequate security despite repeated warnings about rising insecurity, adding that such actions undermine peaceful coexistence.

Accounts regarding the identity of the attackers differed among officials and local observers.

Oromia regional government spokesperson Hailu Adugna said that the Oromo Liberation Army and its allies perpetrated the violence to provoke conflict and distract from military losses elsewhere.

Other local sources reported that armed militias conducted door-to-door killings using heavy weapons while local security forces offered inadequate defense until federal troops arrived.

The Oromo Liberation Army has previously denied targeting civilians, though investigators have documented widespread abuses by multiple armed groups and security forces across the region in recent years.

Authorities face mounting pressure to bring perpetrators to justice and secure vulnerable communities as displaced residents and church leaders await concrete protective measures.