The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church's Holy Synod confirmed on Monday that 60 Orthodox faithful were killed in attacks in the Arsi Zone of Ethiopia's Oromia region, describing the killings as "extremely tragic cruelty" inflicted on innocent citizens, Addis Standard reported.

Source: Addis Standard, Oct 26

In its statement issued on October 26, the Holy Synod said 14 people were killed on October 20 in Angada Kebele, in the Gora Silingo area of Merti Woreda, and another 46 were killed on October 24 in Tereta, Chole and Birbo in Shirka Woreda. More than 20 other people sustained severe injuries and 20 homes were burned down, the statement said.

Source: Addis Standard, Oct 26

A church official described the attacks on three areas in the Shirka district as a "massacre", saying security forces arrived at the scene but were unable to stop the assault, the BBC reported. One resident, whose 75-year-old father was among those killed, told BBC Amharic the attack was an ambush: "We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions." Eyewitnesses told the BBC that children were among those killed.

Source: BBC via VidiaNews, Oct 26

The regional government said it would take action against those responsible, the BBC reported. A local official blamed the attacks on a newly formed rebel coalition, the Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The OLA has not commented on these attacks and has denied carrying out previous such attacks, according to the BBC.

The Church strongly condemned the violence, saying it violated the constitutional rights to life and freedom of religion and undermined Ethiopia's values of peaceful coexistence. The Holy Synod called on government institutions to publicly condemn the killings, protect civilians and bring those responsible to justice, Addis Standard reported. In a statement posted on Facebook, the Church said it had repeatedly raised concerns about insecurity with authorities at different levels of government, but that "so far there has been no solution", the BBC reported.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Council, a non-governmental organisation, said in a report released in July 2026 that 458 people had been killed in attacks in that area over the previous four years, making this one of the deadliest attacks in that period, the BBC reported.