OMM Newsroom
At least 34 Ethiopian Orthodox Christians were killed on Thursday in an attack by gunmen in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, bringing the reported death toll from attacks on worshippers to at least 94 in less than three weeks, local media reported on Friday, according to Anadolu Agency.
The latest killings took place in Endato village in Robe district, where armed assailants targeted residents. Several other people were injured and property was destroyed.
Local outlet “Meseret Media” reported that security personnel trying to restore order were also caught up in the violence. Shops and other properties were damaged.
The attack followed two incidents on Oct. 20 and 24 in the Merti and Shirka districts of Oromia, in which at least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
In a statement issued on Oct. 26, the church’s Holy Synod condemned the killings and called for urgent measures to protect worshippers and prevent further violence.
On Wednesday, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission attributed the earlier attacks to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an armed group operating in the region.
Authorities later launched a security operation following the October killings and arrested nearly 70 suspects in connection with the violence.
The latest attack has heightened concerns about the safety of religious communities in Oromia, where years of armed conflict have displaced civilians and fuelled insecurity.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the country’s largest religious institutions, with more than 30 million followers.
