Addis Standard – October 29, 2025
Addis Abeba – The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) Department of Public Relation said that more than 25 civilians were killed in East Arsi Zone, Oromia regionals state in the month of October alone.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 29, the Church’s Public Relations Department said that the victims were “the Church’s followers” in the area who were killed at various times during the month of October.
The department said it compiled the information through the Church’s structure, from the diocese level down to local congregations, and confirmed that “in total, in October, more than 25 innocent people were killed, including in the Honqolo Wabe and Merti Na Guna woredas.”
The statement also attributed a report received by the Church October 28, “five people were killed in Honqolo Wabe (Siltana) Woreda.” Other reports indicate they were members of the same family.
While the department did not specify the identity of the perpetrators, it stated that it “will present the detailed information received to the relevant body.”
Meanwhile, a local church source told Addis Standard that three civilians were killed and four others were abducted in what he described as a “religion-based attack” carried out by “unidentified gunmen” around 10:00 p.m. on Monday, 27 October 2025, in Hela Zibaba Kebele, Shirka Woreda, East Arsi Zone of Oromia Regional State.
The source, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns, said the civilians were killed in an “atrocious manner” by the “unidentified gunmen.”
According to the religious father, the victims were “taken out of their homes and shot,” adding that such attacks in the area began in 2021 and have since escalated.
He further indicated that approximately 190 people have been killed in similar attacks in the area since 2021. He said the identity and motive of the perpetrators remain unknown but confirmed that the victims were “followers of the Orthodox Tewahedo faith.”
The source identified those killed in Monday’s attack as Mamush Derbie, Tigist Jima, and Gizaw Ketema. Their funeral was held on Tuesday, 28 October 2025, at Zembaba Arsema Church.
He also named the four individuals abducted by the gunmen as Astatke Derbie, Ketema Teklu, Behailu Abebayu, and Sisay Keteme.
As Addis Standard reported in August 2024, six civilians, including a Priest, were killed in a violent attack in Tijo village, Aseko district, Arsi Zone, on 13 August 2024. The attack, attributed to the armed group “Shane,” a term used by the government to refer to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), also left three others injured and resulted in the destruction of homes and widespread looting of livestock.
At the time, residents reported that half of Tijo village was under the control of the armed group, while government forces controlled the other half. Many displaced villagers had sought refuge at St. Michael Church, where conditions were dire due to a lack of food and medicine.