Prayers for the dead in every church: Addis Ababa mourns 60 believers killed in Arsi

What happened

According to the Holy Synod, 14 people were killed in Merti district on 20 October and another 46 in several villages of neighbouring Shirka district on 24 October. More than 20 injured people are in hospital and 20 homes were burned down. The villages lie south of the capital in Oromia region.

The figures were made public on Monday as the Synod opened its plenary session in Addis Ababa. They have not been independently verified. No group has claimed responsibility. According to Al Jazeera, local officials blame a newly formed rebel alliance that includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA); the OLA has previously denied targeting civilians. The Oromia regional government has pledged to pursue those responsible.

It is not the first attack of its kind: Orthodox believers were also killed in Arsi in June, and in July the Ethiopian Human Rights Council counted at least 432 civilians killed in targeted attacks in East Arsi since 2021/22.

The mood on the ground

The Church speaks of deep grief – especially for the children who were killed. On Monday it held a funeral prayer at the monastery of the Patriarchate in Addis Ababa; on Tuesday, prayers followed the liturgy in all parishes and monasteries worldwide.

Alongside the grief there is impatience. The Synod describes the violence as a pattern that has repeated and escalated for years, and demands that the government publicly condemn the killings, bring the perpetrators to justice and deploy security forces to protect the villages. A meeting with senior government officials has been announced.

Ethiopian media coverage is dominated by the Church's account; voices from the regional government or armed groups are largely absent. The Reporter stresses that the casualty figures so far come solely from the Synod.

Voices from the media