At least 43 people were killed and 18 others wounded when unidentified armed men attacked villages in Shirka district, about 270 kilometres south of the capital, Addis Ababa, on Saturday, according to residents and the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project, which monitors political violence.
ACLED said the attack appeared to have been driven by religious motives and specifically targeted Orthodox Christians. The violence reportedly triggered clashes with local militias and continued into Saturday evening.
The precise death toll remains uncertain, with accounts from residents and a church official putting the number of people killed at between 43 and 51.
One resident told AFP by telephone that their sister and uncle had been killed, while several relatives were taken hostage in Chole ward of Shirka district. The resident requested anonymity.
A deacon from one of the churches attacked said 46 people had died and called on the government to take urgent action to restore security.
“We are deeply shocked by these tragic killings and are appealing to the government to intervene and restore security,” the deacon said, adding that some residents had sought refuge in nearby churches.
The Ethiopia Human Rights Commission, a state-run body, said it was monitoring developments but provided no further details.
Independent verification of reports from Ethiopia remains difficult because of restrictions on media access, making it challenging to establish the full circumstances of the attacks.
Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest regional state, has a population of about 40 million and has experienced years of insurgency and ethnic tensions. Relations among its Muslim, Protestant and Orthodox Christian communities have also come under pressure amid continuing insecurity.
ACLED has documented a rise in attacks against Orthodox Christians in the region since February 2023, with incidents reportedly intensifying from last year.
It remains unclear whether the latest violence involved the Oromo Liberation Front, identified in the report as a major insurgent group operating in the region. Although political grievances and disputes over ethnic representation have been central to the insurgency, religious identity has also been used to mobilise fighters.
The attacks come amid wider instability across Ethiopia, a country in the Horn of Africa grappling with multiple internal conflicts. Heavy fighting also broke out in the northern Tigray region last month, adding to concerns about the country’s security situation.
