At least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed in two attacks in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, the country’s Orthodox Church said yesterday, urging authorities to protect civilians and bring those responsible to justice. Source: Crux Now.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s Holy Synod said 14 people were killed in Merti district on October 20 and 46 were killed in Shirka district on October 24. Both districts are in Oromia’s Arsi Zone.
More than 20 people were seriously wounded and 20 homes were burned down, the church said, describing the killings as “brutal and merciless massacres.”
Oromia regional government spokesperson Hailu Adugna blamed the Oromo Liberation Army, or OLA, for the attacks. He accused the rebels and their allies of trying to provoke ethnic and religious conflict to divert attention from military losses in northern Ethiopia. He presented no evidence supporting the accusations in the statement.
Mr Adugna expressed sorrow over the deaths and destruction and said that regional authorities had begun taking action against those responsible. He pledged assistance to people wounded or displaced.
The OLA couldn’t be reached for comment. Its leader, Kumsa Diriba, also known as Jaal Marroo, denied that his fighters target civilians in an interview with The Associated Press published in February.
“Our war is not against the people,” he said at the time.
The OLA is one of seven groups in the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, formed in September with the aim of removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Other members include the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano National Movement.
The church said that the attacks violated constitutional protections for religious freedom and the right to life. It called on authorities to publicly condemn the killings and prevent further violence.
Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest region and home to about 40 million people, has endured a conflict between government forces and the OLA since 2018. Other armed groups and criminal gangs also operate there, with civilians facing killings, extortion and kidnapping.
United Nations investigators have accused the OLA of killings, rapes and kidnappings. Human rights monitors have also documented abuses by government forces, including indiscriminate drone strikes, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.
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Attacks kill at least 60 Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia, church says (By Khaled Kazziha, AP via Crux Now)
