At Least 60 Killed in Two Attacks in Ethiopia's Oromiya Region in a Week, Orthodox Church Says
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, in a statement reported by Reuters on October 27. Church authorities said the dead were all Christians, but did not give 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 northern Tigray region traded blame for the killings.
The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said 14 believers were killed in Merti Woreda on October 20 and 46 in Sherka Woreda on October 24. More than 20 homes were also burned and more than 20 people were hospitalised with severe injuries, the church's statement, issued on Monday, added.
The regional government said the rebel alliance launched the attacks to try to spark religious conflict, without providing evidence. The source linked to the rebel alliance said the Oromiya regional government had carried out the killings, citing conversations with two local residents. The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which the regional government has blamed for previous attacks on Orthodox Christians, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The OLA is one of seven armed groups that announced last month they had formed an alliance aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 埃塞俄比亚拉利贝拉一座东正教教堂内的圣像壁画（资料图）。A. Davey 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Saint paintings inside an Ethiopian Orthodox church in Lalibela, Ethiopia (file photo). Photo by A. Davey, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
