Church Says Attacks in Ethiopia's Oromia Region Killed at Least 60 Orthodox Christians

At least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed in two attacks in Ethiopia's Oromia region, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said in a statement late on Monday. The church said more than 20 others were seriously wounded and 20 homes were burned down. It said 14 people were killed on October 20 in Gora Silingo, Angada Kebele, in Merti district, and another 46 on October 24 in Tereta, Chole and Birbo in Shirka district. Both districts are in the Arsi Zone of central Oromia.

The church's Holy Synod condemned the killings, saying they violated constitutional protections for life and religious freedom and threatened Ethiopia's tradition of peaceful coexistence among faiths. It urged government institutions to condemn the attacks publicly, strengthen civilian protection and bring those responsible to justice, and asked security agencies to give affected communities more protection and take steps to prevent further violence. The Oromia regional government has pledged to pursue those responsible. According to local media reports, a local official accused a newly formed rebel alliance that includes the Oromo Liberation Army of carrying out the attacks.

The Washington Post, on the left, and Newsmax, on the right, run the same short wire-style item under nearly identical headlines. Both lead with the church's toll of at least 60 dead in two attacks in Oromia and its call for authorities to protect civilians and deliver justice. The excerpts of both stop there, with no visible differences in framing, sources or word choice, and neither excerpt shows the dates, villages, injury figures or any suspect. The left and right therefore agree on the core facts and the church as the sole source. TRT World, an alternative outlet, differs by supplying that detail: the October 20 and 24 dates, the districts, the Holy Synod's wording, the regional government's pledge and the rebel-alliance accusation.