Ethiopian Orthodox Church says at least 60 killed in two attacks in Oromia region

At least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed in two attacks in Ethiopia's Oromia region, the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said on Monday, Oct. 26. The church said 14 people were killed on Oct. 20 in Gora Silingo, in Merti district, and 46 on Oct. 24 in the villages of Tereta, Chole and Birbo in Shirka district, Al Jazeera reported. Both districts are in the Arsi Zone. The church said more than 20 people were seriously injured and 20 homes were burned.

Witnesses told BBC Amharic that five of the dead were children. One resident, whose 75-year-old father was killed, said attackers "surrounded us from all four directions." A church official said security forces reached the area but could not stop the attack, and many residents have fled, the BBC reported.

No group has claimed responsibility. A local official blamed a newly formed rebel coalition, the Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The OLA did not comment, but it has denied carrying out earlier attacks on civilians, according to the BBC. The Oromia regional government said it would pursue those responsible.

The Holy Synod condemned the killings, called on the government to protect civilians and bring those responsible to justice, and said it had raised security concerns with authorities without result. The Ethiopian Human Rights Council, a non-governmental group, said in July that 458 people had been killed in attacks in the area over four years and described armed groups targeting followers of the Orthodox Church. The BBC noted that Muslims in the area have also been attacked and that residents have described the violence as both ethnic and religious. About two-thirds of Ethiopians are Christian, mostly Orthodox, and about one-third are Muslim.