U.S. State Department condemns targeted killings in Ethiopia's Arsi Zone and urges an investigation
The State Department's Bureau of African Affairs said it was "deeply concerned" about reports of targeted killings of civilians in Ethiopia's Oromia region. It condemned violence driven by religion, ethnicity or politics and urged against "characterizations that could deepen division." It called on Ethiopia's government to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.
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The U.S. State Department on Saturday, Oct. 31, condemned what it called targeted killings of civilians in the Arsi Zone of Ethiopia's Oromia region. It called on the Ethiopian government to investigate and hold those responsible to account.
In a statement, the department's Bureau of African Affairs said the United States was deeply concerned by the reports. It condemned violence motivated by religion, ethnicity or politics. "Such horrific attacks against any group must stop," the bureau said, according to The Abay Times and Ethiopian Business View (EBV). "As we seek to understand this tragedy, the United States urges against characterizations that could deepen division," the bureau added, EBV reported. The statement did not say who the United States believes carried out the killings.
The statement follows two attacks that the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church says killed at least 60 Orthodox Christians: 14 in Merti district on Oct. 20 and 46 in Shirka district on Oct. 24. The church says more than 20 people were seriously injured. No group has claimed responsibility, and residents have given differing tolls, The Abay Times reported.
Sources
The Abay Times: US condemns targeted killings of civilians in Arsi and urges Ethiopia to investigate (Oct 31, 2026)
https://abaytimes.com/conflict/us-condemns-targeted-killings-of-civilians-in-arsiEthiopian Business View: US Condemns Targeted Killings of Civilians in Ethiopia's Arsi Zone, Urges Government to Prosecute Perpetrators (Oct 31, 2026)
https://etbusinessview.com/2026/10/31/us-condemns-targeted-killings-of-civilians-in-ethiopias-arsi-zone-urges-government-to-prosecute-perpetrators
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Corrections and updates
- Update, November 2, 2026: Brief prepared from The Abay Times (News Desk; Oct. 31, 2026) and Ethiopian Business View (EBV staff writer; Oct. 31, 2026). Shares threadId ethiopia-oromia-arsi-attacks-2026 and follows ethiopia-oromia-chole-mass-grave-verified-oct2026. Matthew OK'd the follow-up. The sheet date is Oct. 31, so sourcePublishedAt is 2026-10-31. The brief is in the Nov. 1 edition, so publishedAt and editionDate are 2026-11-01. Sources were checked Nov. 2, 2026, so accessedAt is 2026-11-02. Status is REPORTED. Tags are global, church-life, and orthodox, the same as the earlier Ethiopia briefs. No persecution tag. Left out because only The Abay Times reports them: Ambassador Ervin Massinga's repeat of the statement, U.K. Ambassador Darren Welch's comments, the World Council of Churches' Amhara/Oromo note, the House committee remark, and the Oromia government's blame of the Oromo Liberation Army and "Tsimdo." The body paraphrases and quotes only lines both outlets carry. The U.S. statement does not say who is responsible. "No group has claimed responsibility" is carried from the earlier briefs and matches Abay's account. No prior Wayback snapshot was found for The Abay Times or Ethiopian Business View. No photo.