Eyewitnesses report multi-directional assaults across Shirka Woreda as severe roadblocks hinder emergency medical transfers and mourning processions
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — Eyewitnesses reporting to Deutsche Welle confirm that at least 55 civilians were killed during a continuous, multi-directional assault on farming communities across Birbo and Chole kebeles in Shirka Woreda, Arsi Zone of Ethiopia’s Oromia Region.
Local residents and surviving victims disclosed to Deutsche Welle that the attack commenced around midnight, with armed groups opening heavy small-arms and artillery fire from three directions. Among the 55 documented fatalities were 11 women and children. While the majority of those targeted were Orthodox Christian followers, local residents confirmed that seven Muslim community members were also among the victims, alongside prominent local elders including brothers Kebede Mandefro and Niguse Mandefro. The assault, which continued until late afternoon, involved widespread arson targeting residential homes and agricultural property.
The security situation in Shirka Woreda remains highly volatile following the violence. Local church leadership reported that while active gunfire ceased overnight and recent victims were buried at Tiruta Michael Church, severe road blockades around the area have trapped returning mourners seven kilometers outside the main town. Medical workers and church administrators warn that the death toll could increase further, as more than 20 critically injured patients remain stuck in local clinics, unable to be transferred to regional referral hospitals due to ongoing road closures. Beyond civilian casualties, armed groups vandalized local religious sites, scattering sacred vessels and burning the perimeter fence of the local Rufael building church, though the sacred Ark (Tabot) at Degele Medhanealem Church remained unharmed.
The tragic events have drawn strong reactions from ecclesiastical and regional state leaders. His Grace Abune Gerima, Archbishop of the Gedeo, Kore, and Burji Diocese and member of the Holy Synod, expressed deep sorrow over the ongoing carnage and displacement, emphasizing that state security organs hold an absolute legal obligation to protect civilian lives. Meanwhile, Head of the Oromia Region Communication Bureau, Hailu Adugna, attributed the attack in Kole and Birbo kebeles to “Fano” forces, asserting that the armed group sought to incite inter-religious and inter-ethnic strife to deflect from losses in northern Ethiopia, while confirming that the regional administration is in official mourning.
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