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Contemporary observation

Ethiopia: more than 60 Orthodox Christians killed in two attacks in the Arsi zone, according to their Church

The town of Asella, in 2021, in the Arsi Zone (Oromia Region, Ethiopia), where Orthodox Christians were killed on 20 and 24 October 2026 in villages of the Merti and Shirka districts. An image of the region, not of the affected villages or of the event.
Photo of the place The town of Asella, in 2021, in the Arsi Zone (Oromia Region, Ethiopia), where Orthodox Christians were killed on 20 and 24 October 2026 in villages of the Merti and Shirka districts. An image of the region, not of the affected villages or of the event. — Photo: Ayeleabebe, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

possible · Observation ≠ proven fulfilment

2026-10-20 → 2026-10-24 · Districts de Merti et de Shirka, zone d’Arsi, région d’Oromia (Éthiopie)

See the full entry: sources, objections, answers

What is reported

On October 26, 2026, the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church publishes a toll of at least 60 dead, more than 20 seriously injured and 20 houses burned, in two attacks on Orthodox faithful in the Arsi zone, in Oromia. October 20: 14 dead in Gora Silingo, Merti district; October 24: 46 dead in the villages of Tereta, Chole and Birbo, Shirka district. A local official blames a recently formed rebel alliance that includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA); the OLA has not commented on this attack and denies the earlier ones. No one has claimed responsibility. The toll comes from the Church and has not been independently verified; the regional government promises to prosecute those responsible. In July 2026, the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, an NGO, had already counted at least 432 civilians killed in targeted attacks in eastern Arsi since 2021-2022, and described religiously motivated attacks targeting Orthodox faithful, among others.

Main objection (in French for now)

The perpetrators and their motive are not established: no one has claimed responsibility, and the region has a long-running armed conflict in which civilians of all affiliations are killed.

The text (World English Bible)

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had. They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course.

Rev 6:9-11

It was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.

Rev 13:7

He will speak words against the Most High, and will wear out the saints of the Most High. He will plan to change the times and the law; and they will be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.

Dan 7:25

Sources