When we documented the targeting of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the warning was simple: the pattern was escalating, and it was going unanswered. The months since have confirmed both halves of that sentence. The attacks in the Arsi zone have continued and widened; the response from those with the power to stop them has not come.
What follows is a record of the most recent, independently reported incidents — not a re-statement of the full case, which is set out in our investigation, but the evidence of an unbroken line from our alert to today.
Since our alert — recent, independently reported attacks
46
killed
24 Oct 2026 · Shirka, Arsi. Attack on Birbo and Chole, at least 5 children, one mass grave. Time of the attack disputed.
None
official count published
Perpetrators disputed; the OLA has not claimed any attack.
458
deaths documented
East Arsi, Sept 2021–June 2026 (EHRCO, incl. 4 militiamen) · 14,000+ displaced. A cumulative record, not one event: kept off the chart below.
Reported toll per event one scale, 0–50 · newest first
| Event | Reported killed |
|---|---|
| 24 Oct 2026Shirka: Birbo, Chole, Sole Guna | 46 killed |
| 20 Oct 2026Merti woredaHoly Synod figure | 14 killed |
| 12–18 Oct 2026Shirka, Honqolo Wabe5 abducted | 6 killed |
| 9 Jun 2026Aseko, Shirka, Honqolo Wabediocese figure; state commission: 3 | 13+ killed |
| 2 Jun 2026Aleko Teleta | 37+ killed |
| 7 Mar 2026Atronse Mariam monastery, Mehal SayintAmhara region, not Arsi · 28 wounded | 6 killed |
| 26 Feb 2026East Arsi | ~20 killed |
| Oct 2025East Arsi | 25+ killed |
stated figureat least, or approximate
Figures come from different sources and counting rules, and events overlap: bars are not to be added. Not plotted because they cover a period or the whole record, not one event: 4 Mar (up to 30 civilians since Oct 2025) and 27 Jul (458, above).
24 Oct, Shirka: sources compared killed, as reported
| Source | Figure | Position on a 40 to 50 scale |
|---|---|---|
| BBC Amharicthree residents | 46 | |
| Holy Synodstatement of 26 Oct, Shirka | 46 | |
| Borkenaat least; places the attack at night | 47+ | |
| Meseret Mediamore than | 45+ | |
| TIKVAH Ethiopiaanonymous church officials, more than | 40+ | |
| Addis Standardat least; two residents at the funeral | 48+ | |
| Arsi dioceserelayed by World Bits; statement not located | 42 | |
| Church source (to BBC)Chole alone | 43 | |
| Official countfederal, regional | none |
Axis starts at 40 to separate the points: it is not a bar scale. Arrow: figure is a minimum. Open dot: Chole alone, not the whole attack.
Not established
- Who carried it out
- Regional government: a rebel alliance, without evidence. Source linked to that alliance: the regional authorities. OLA: no claim.
- Official count
- None published.
- Lists of names
- Circulating on social media; not verified.
- Time of the attack
- Reported as Friday 23 October around 10 p.m., Saturday 24 October around 5 a.m., or the evening of 24 October.
Entry by entry full account under each row
-
24 Oct 2026
46killed
Shirka, Arsi, Oromia (Birbo, Chole and Sole Guna).
Birbo and Chole · at least 5 children · one mass grave · time of attack and perpetrators disputed · no official count
Full account
BBC Amharic (25 Oct), citing three eyewitnesses and church sources, reports more than 40 killed, at least five of them children, in an attack on the Birbo and Chole kebeles that began around 5 a.m. on Saturday 24 October. Three residents put the toll at 46 and a church source at 43 in Chole alone; the dead were buried together in a single grave at St Raphael church, and about 20 wounded were taken to hospital. The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (statement of 26 October) gives 46 dead in Shirka (Tereta, Chole and Birbo), and more than 20 seriously wounded and 20 houses burned across the two districts it counts. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission says it is monitoring the case and has nothing concrete yet. The BBC could not reach the Oromia communication office; local media quote its head, Haylu Adunya, blaming the armed alliance Tsimdo. According to Reuters, the regional government blames a rebel alliance without evidence, a source linked to that alliance blames the regional authorities, and the OLA has not claimed any attack. The Arsi diocese issued a statement the same day, without figures. Other reports: TIKVAH Ethiopia (anonymous church officials) more than 40 dead; Borkena at least 47, placing the attack at night; Meseret Media more than 45; Addis Standard (two residents at the funeral) at least 48 killed and more than 31 wounded, at least six of the dead children under 15, the first 35 to 37 buried in a mass grave. The timing differs between accounts: around 5 a.m. on Saturday 24 October (BBC Amharic, TIKVAH Ethiopia); Friday 23 October around 10 p.m. (Borkena, and the Arsi diocese as relayed by the aggregator World Bits, which gives 42 killed and 18 wounded; we have not located the diocese statement itself); the evening of 24 October into the morning of 25 (Addis Standard). Lists of names circulating on social media have not been verified. No official count has been published.
Several sources BBC Amharic; Holy Synod; TIKVAH Ethiopia; Borkena; Meseret Media; Addis Standard
-
20 Oct 2026
14killed
Gora Silingo, Angada kebele, Merti woreda, Arsi, Oromia.
Merti woreda · figure from the Holy Synod, not independently confirmed
Full account
The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church reports 14 Orthodox faithful killed on 20 October, in a statement of 26 October that counts 60 dead in all with the Shirka attack of 24 October. A Merti woreda source had told BBC Amharic of more than 15 killed on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. The Synod figures come from church officials and have not been independently confirmed.
Not independently confirmed Holy Synod, via allAfrica
-
12–18 Oct 2026
6killed · 5 abducted
Shirka and Honqolo Wabe, Arsi, Oromia.
Separate attacks · unverified by the BBC · victims named by the Church
Full account
At least six people killed and five abducted in separate attacks, according to BBC Amharic’s sources, which it could not verify independently; the Orthodox Church named victims in a statement of 15 October. Local officials did not respond.
Unverified by the BBC BBC Amharic, via Amhara Association of America
-
27 Jul 2026
458deaths documented
East Arsi, Oromia (nine districts).
EHRCO report, Sept 2021–June 2026 · incl. 4 militiamen · 14,000+ displaced · names published
Full account
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) publishes a 37-page report covering September 2021 to June 2026: district figures add up to 458 deaths, including four local militiamen, and more than 14,000 people displaced; the names of the dead are published. It refers to armed groups and describes the acts as bearing the hallmarks of crimes against humanity; the federal and Oromia governments attribute the attacks to the OLA.
Named report Borkena (reporting EHRCO)
-
9 Jun 2026
13+killed (diocese)
Aseko, Arsi, Oromia.
State commission: 3 killed 30 May–1 June · Arsi diocese: at least 13 in Aseko, Shirka, Honqolo Wabe
Full account
Preliminary findings of the state Ethiopian Human Rights Commission: three people killed between 30 May and 1 June (two Orthodox Christians and one Muslim), with security-force casualties, large-scale displacement and property destruction. The Arsi diocese of the Orthodox Church reports at least 13 Orthodox civilians killed in separate attacks in Aseko, Shirka and Honqolo Wabe.
Sources differ Wazema Briefings
-
2 Jun 2026
37+killed
Aleko Teleta, Arsi, Oromia.
Church torched · about 280 homes burned (unconfirmed) · others missing
Full account
At least 37 Orthodox Christians were killed, some 280 homes burned and St. Gabriel church torched; others remain missing. The Borkena text also speaks of 280 households displaced, and the EHRC cites an unverified number of homes: the figure of 280 is unconfirmed.
Single source Borkena
-
7 Mar 2026
6killed · 28 wounded
Atronse Mariam monastery, Mehal Sayint, Amhara.
Mortar fire on the monastery after mass · eyewitnesses cite state artillery
Full account
Mortar fire struck the historic monastery shortly after morning mass, killing six clergy and religious students and wounding 28. Eyewitnesses cited by the BBC pointed to state artillery fired from Guameda.
Single source BBC Amharic
-
4 Mar 2026
30civilians, up to
Jawi (Shirka) and Geba (Robe), East Arsi, Oromia.
Killed since Oct 2025 per the state commission · no perpetrator named
Full account
The state Ethiopian Human Rights Commission cites up to 30 civilians killed in renewed attacks since October 2025 and verifies those of 26 February in Jawi and Geba; it names no perpetrator for the 2026 attacks.
State commission Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, via allAfrica
-
26 Feb 2026
~20killed
East Arsi, Oromia.
Market and church attacked mid-service · a priest among the dead
Full account
Gunmen stormed a market and a church mid-service, killing about 20 Orthodox Christians and a Muslim guard; a priest was among the dead, and homes and crops were burned.
Single source Open Doors UK
-
Oct 2025
25+civilians killed
East Arsi, Oromia.
Catholic bishops condemned the attacks of 25 and 27 October
Full account
More than 25 civilians were reported killed in East Arsi during October; Ethiopian Catholic bishops condemned attacks on 25 and 27 October.
Single source ACI Africa
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church's Holy Synod has condemned the killings and named the dead. Ethiopia's Catholic bishops have called for independent investigations. Neither the federal nor the regional government has opened a credible one, prosecuted those responsible, or moved to protect the communities being hit. The silence our investigation described is no longer an absence of attention — it is a choice, repeated.
For the full, sourced background — the clergy killings, the holy sites in the line of fire, and the pattern they form — read our investigation: The oldest faith, the newest target →
And for our reading of what these killings mean — the forces behind them, and the response we are calling for — see our analysis: The Arsi Massacre: silence, blood, and impunity →