Researchers verify mass grave beside Orthodox church in Ethiopia's Oromia region; monitor says Oct. 24 attack was the deadliest there since 2023
The Centre for Information Resilience, a research group, geolocated video of a mass burial beside St. Rufael's church in Chole and counted at least 33 bodies. The conflict monitor ACLED puts the Oct. 24 toll at 40 to 60. Neither group could confirm who carried out the killings or why.
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A research group that verifies open-source imagery says it has confirmed a mass burial beside an Ethiopian Orthodox church in the Oromia region. That is where residents said dozens were killed on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a UK-based research organisation and not a news outlet, said on Oct. 30 that it had geolocated video of a burial pit about 50 meters from St. Rufael's Orthodox Church in Chole, Shirka district, Arsi Zone. CIR counted at least 33 bodies, including at least three much smaller than the others, consistent with children. It said the count was "consistent with, but not independently confirming," reports of 46 dead. CIR said it could not verify the killings themselves or the attackers' motives. It assessed it a "realistic possibility" that the victims were targeted for their Christian identity, but said the footage "does not confirm this." It also warned that altered and AI-generated images of the event were circulating online.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project (ACLED), a conflict-monitoring organisation and also not a news outlet, said on Oct. 28 that an unidentified armed group attacked civilians in Birbo Chole on Oct. 24, leaving 40 to 60 dead and more than 31 injured. It called this the deadliest reported violence in the zone since 2023. ACLED analyst Jalale Getachew Birru said attacks on Orthodox Christian civilians there had become "increasingly frequent and severe." He said most were carried out by an unidentified armed group, while the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has been accused of some. ACLED also said the group vandalized a church and looted another in nearby Solena Digelu.
The Abay Times, an Ethiopian news site, quoted residents who said 46 people were killed and buried together at the church. Hailu Adugna, head of the Oromia Communication Service, blamed what he called the "Tsimdo force," a label officials use for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and groups they accuse of aligning with it. He gave no toll. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said it was monitoring the attack. No group has claimed responsibility.
Sources
Centre for Information Resilience: Alleged Attacks at St Rufael's Orthodox Church in Chole, Sherka Woreda, 24 October 2026 (Oct 30, 2026)
https://www.info-res.org/cir/articles/alleged-attacks-at-st-rufaels-orthodox-church-in-chole-sherka-woreda-24-october-2026/ACLED: What does ACLED data show about violent incidents in the Arsi zone, Ethiopia? (Oct 28, 2026)
https://acleddata.com/expert-comment/what-does-acled-data-show-about-violent-incidents-arsi-zone-ethiopiaThe Abay Times: Residents say more than 40 killed in new attack in Arsi's Shirka (Oct 25, 2026)
https://abaytimes.com/society/residents-say-more-than-40-killed-in-new-attack-in-arsis-shirka
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Corrections and updates
- Update, October 31, 2026: Brief prepared from the Centre for Information Resilience (Oct. 30, 2026), ACLED (Jalale Getachew Birru; Oct. 28, 2026), and The Abay Times (News Desk; Oct. 25, 2026, updated Oct. 30). Shares threadId ethiopia-oromia-arsi-attacks-2026 and follows ethiopia-oromia-orthodox-christians-killed-oct2026. Matthew assigned that threadId to both Ethiopia briefs. The sheet date is Oct. 30, so sourcePublishedAt is 2026-10-30. The Abay Times publishedAt is 2026-10-25, the original date; the page was updated Oct. 30. The brief is in the Oct. 31 edition, so publishedAt and editionDate are 2026-10-31. accessedAt is 2026-10-31. Status is REPORTED. Tags are global, church-life, and orthodox, the same as the Oct. 27 brief. No persecution tag. CIR and ACLED are a research group and a conflict monitor, not news outlets. The Abay Times is the news outlet. Motive is unconfirmed. No prior Wayback snapshot was found for CIR, ACLED, or The Abay Times. No photo.