Ethiopian Church Reports 60 Killed in Two Oromia Attacks — Responsibility Remains Disputed

October 27, 2026. Ethiopia’s Orthodox Tewahedo Church says 60 worshippers were killed in two attacks in the Arsi area of Oromia on October 20 and October 24. The figures are the church’s reported toll, not an independently verified casualty count. The identity of those responsible remains disputed.

What the church reported

In a statement issued on October 26, the church’s Holy Synod said 14 people were killed in Merti district on October 20 and 46 in Shirka district on October 24. It reported more than 20 seriously injured people and the burning of around 20 homes. The Synod called for civilian protection, an investigation and accountability.

The accounts were reported by Reuters on October 27 and detailed in The Abay Times’ October 26 report, which describes the Synod’s breakdown by location. Other witness estimates differ; the reported toll may change as information is checked.

Who is responsible? The evidence is not settled

Oromia’s regional government blamed an alliance of armed groups, according to Reuters. A source associated with that alliance offered a conflicting accusation against government forces. Neither allegation has been independently established in the reporting available at publication. The Oromo Liberation Army did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

It would therefore be misleading to name a perpetrator as fact or to treat claims of religious motivation as a completed investigation. The immediate verifiable story is the church’s public allegation of mass civilian killings and its call for protection.

Why this matters beyond the death toll

When responsibility for attacks is contested, residents can face heightened risks from reprisals, displacement and rumor. The church’s requests for protection and an impartial investigation underscore two distinct needs: immediate safety for communities and credible evidence about who carried out the violence.

Independent access, medical records, survivor testimony and official investigative findings would help clarify the toll and responsibility. Until such evidence is available, casualty figures and accusations should remain explicitly attributed.

Key facts and verification status

Reported deaths: 60, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Attack dates: October 20 and October 24, 2026.
Locations: Merti and Shirka districts, Arsi area of Oromia, Ethiopia.
Responsibility: Disputed; not independently verified.
Video: No authenticated, rights-cleared video of these specific attacks was verified at publication. We have not embedded older or unrelated footage.

Featured image (archival context only): Teff fields and rural houses in Oromia, Ethiopia, photographed October 26, 2019, by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Source: Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Image resized for display. This is not a photograph of the October 2026 attacks, their victims or the affected districts.

Sources: Reuters, October 27, 2026; The Abay Times, October 26, 2026. Read more in our World coverage.

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