Attackers kill 60 people in Ethiopia's conflict-hit Oromiya region, Orthodox church says
NAIROBI: At least 60 people were killed in two separate attacks in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Oromiya region in the past week, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church said. Church authorities said the dead were all Christians, but did not go into details on how they died or who was behind the attacks. The Oromiya regional government and a source linked to a rebel alliance fighting government forces in the…
In the conflict-ridden Oromiya region of Ethiopia, at least 60 people were killed in two separate attacks last week, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The victims were all Christian believers. The church did not provide details on the methods of their deaths or the perpetrators. The Oromiya regional government and a source affiliated with a rebel alliance fighting government forces in Tigray region each blamed the other for the attacks.
The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church reported that 14 Christians were killed in Merti Woreda on October 20 and 46 in Sherka Woreda on October 24. The church also stated that over 20 homes were burned and more than 20 individuals sustained severe injuries in the assaults. The regional government accused the rebel alliance of staging the attacks to incite religious strife, but provided no proof.
Conversely, a source linked to the rebel alliance claimed the Oromiya regional government orchestrated the killings, basing their assertion on discussions with two local residents. The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group blamed by the regional government for prior attacks on Orthodox Christians, did not comment on the matter.
The OLA is one of seven armed factions that recently united to form an alliance aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration.
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