Escalating Religious Violence in Ethiopia

Author: Eman Haider Butt

November 11, 2026

HRRC condemns the attacks targeting civilians and religious communities and urges the relevant authorities to take effective measures against those responsible. We further call upon the Ethiopian government to strengthen civilian protection mechanisms and implement adequate security measures to prevent further violence in the region.

Kidist Mariam (Saint Mary) Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Adama, Ethiopia. [Image credit: Gyrofrog/Wikimedia Commons]

More than 90 people, including children, have been killed in a series of attacks targeting members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Orthodox Christians are estimated to compose 43% of Ethiopia’s national population and the Oromia region is the most populous.

The attacks began on October 20 in Merti District, when 14 people were killed. A subsequent attack took place on October 24 in Shirka District, resulting in the deaths of 46 people. A third attack occurred on November 5, when armed men killed 34 people, including both local militia members and civilians. Residents described this latest incident as a coordinated assault involving gunfire from the attackers. The authorities have yet to issue an official account of the attack. 

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of the nation's largest Christian communities, raised security concerns with the authorities at different levels of government but that “so far there has been no solution” and warned that the violence undermined Ethiopia’s values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. According to the BBC, a church official described the attacks as a massacre and stated that security forces were unable to stop the assault. The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church issued a statement stating 20 houses belonging to church members were completely burned, while more than 20 people were seriously injured receiving treatment in hospitals. 

Responsibility for the attacks remains disputed. In a report issued on November 3, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) attributed 41 of the 48 deaths resulting from the October 24 attack to an armed group identified as the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), commonly referred to as OLF-Shane, while informally armed individuals caused the remaining seven deaths. The EHRC urged the government to strengthen civilian protection, improve early-warning mechanisms and ensure timely responses to security threats. 

Reports indicate that verbal and physical attacks against the church have increased since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assumed power in 2018. The Oromo Liberation Army is one of seven armed groups that formed an alliance aimed at overthrowing the Ahmed government. The organisation was designated a terrorist organisation by the Ethiopian Parliament in 2021. The EHRC accused the OLA of provoking religious conflicts through these attacks; however, the available evidence does not conclusively establish the group’s responsibility for them. 

According to Reuters, a source linked to the rebel group accused the Oromia regional government of carrying out the killings. These latest attacks form a part of a larger pattern of violence in the Arsi Zone, where local communities have faced attacks, abductions, destruction of property, and displacement. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has previously described such attacks as attempts “to create instability, undermine public security, and disrupt Ethiopia’s democratic processes.” On November 2, the Oromia regional government announced the detention of 73 individuals in connection with the attacks, describing the arrests as part of security operations against the OLA. 

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Glossary

• Abduction: The act of making a person go somewhere with you, especially using threats or violence.

• Alliance: A group of countries, political parties, or people who have agreed to work together because of shared interests or aims.

• Authority: Power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior.

• Coordinated: Effectively organised so that all the parts work well together.

• Disputed: A subject of disagreement, especially official or legal disagreement.

• Holy Synod: The governing council of an autocephalous church, composed of bishops and presided over by the patriarch or another prelate.

• Insidiously: Doing something in a way that gradually and secretly causes harm.

• Militia: It is a military organization of citizens with limited military training, which is available for emergency service, usually for local defense. 

• Orthodox Christianity: Orthodoxy believes that the Christian Faith and the Church are inseparable. It is impossible to know Christ, to share in the life of the Holy Trinity, or to be considered a Christian, apart from the Church. 

• Rebel Group: A group who is opposed to the political system in their country and tries to change it using.

• Subsequent: Following in time, order or place.

• Terrorist Organization: A structured group employing violence and intimidation to achieve political objectives. These organisations often target civilians to instill fear and influence governmental policies. 

• Undermine: To subvert or weaken insidiously or secretly.