A late-night assault across rural communities in Ethiopia’s Oromia Region leaves dozens dead and communities displaced
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — At least 47 Orthodox Christian followers were killed, numerous homes reduced to ashes, and entire livelihoods plundered during a horrific late-night assault across multiple rural communities in Shirka Woreda, located in the Arsi Zone of Ethiopia’s Oromia Region.
The terrifying violence erupted around 10:00 PM as heavily armed groups systematically surrounded farming families inside their homes across Birbo, Chole, and Sole Guna kebeles, blocking every escape route before opening fire and setting residences ablaze. According to grieving local families and local sources, the assailants consisted of local armed groups operating within Shirka Woreda alongside extremist elements mobilized from neighboring Bale Zone’s Wabe River corridor, Honkolo Wabe, and Robe Didea. Desperate relatives of the deceased alleged that the attackers operated with tacit backing from local administrative structures.
This latest massacre marks a painful escalation in a recurring pattern of targeted violence against Orthodox Christian communities across the Arsi Zone and broader swathes of the Oromia Region. Over recent years, vulnerable agrarian families in these areas have faced repeated waves of violent raids, house burnings, and massacres, leaving rural parishes traumatized, churches desecrated, and thousands of displaced believers living under constant fear of annihilation.
As the fires consumed entire neighborhoods during the attack, terrified residents in Gobesa town—the administrative seat of Shirka Woreda—pleaded with local police and security forces to intervene and save their loved ones. However, security personnel reportedly stood by without taking action, claiming they had not received official orders to deploy. Bereaved families now face the heartwrenching task of sifting through ash and rubble to bury their dead, while a severe security threat continues to hover over the terrorized region.
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