Addis Abeba — The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) says at least 432 civilians and four local militia members have been killed in armed attacks across the East Arsi Zone of Oromia Region since 2021/2022 (2014 E.C.), documenting what it describes as a pattern of targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, forced displacement, and destruction of civilian property primarily affecting followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Discover moreNewspapersWorld news headlinesPolitics research reports In its 158th Special Report, covering violations committed between 2021/2022 and 01 June 2026, EHRCO said its investigation found that armed groups operating in several districts of East Arsi carried out "killings, bodily harm, kidnappings, forced displacement, looting and destruction of property" against Orthodox Christian communities.
People & Society The findings echo concerns raised by the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), Abune Mathias I, who in June this year described the repeated assaults on Orthodox believers as a "chain of attacks."
According to the organization, 432 civilians and four local militia members were killed during the period under review. The deaths include 117 people in Merti District, 116 in Shirka, 101 in Jeju, 47 in Robe, 26 in Guna, 20 in Honqolo Wabe, 19 in Munisa, five civilians and four militia members in Aseko, and three people in Arsi Sire District. EHRCO said the militia members were killed while attempting to protect civilians.
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Christianity The report further documents a pattern of abductions allegedly carried out for ransom. EHRCO said 156 people were abducted in Robe District, with 141 later released and 15 still missing. In Merti District, 29 people were kidnapped, of whom 27 were released after ransom payments, while a husband and wife remain unaccounted for. The fate of 39 abductees from Shirka District and two from Munisa District also remains unknown. In Jeju District, 182 abductees, including 166 men and 16 women, were reportedly released after paying ransom.
Demographics EHRCO said testimonies gathered during its investigation point to a recurring pattern in which armed groups allegedly singled out Orthodox Christian households, separated men from women and children, demanded large ransom payments, and in several cases killed captives even after families complied with the demands.
One woman described how armed men raided her family's homes on the night of 11 July 2025. "On July 11, 2025, around 9:30 PM, armed forces entered our home and simultaneously surrounded the houses of my father, my two uncles, and my cousin and took them away. They left the women and children behind and took the men."
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They picked out Orthodox believers from their homes and gathered them without distinguishing between children, women, men, or the elderly Eye witness Human Rights & Liberties
She told investigators that relatives who went searching after hearing gunfire discovered the bodies of two family members the following morning, while the remaining captives were forced to speak over the phone to prove they were alive.
"On Sunday morning around 10:00 AM, they called demanding 1,000,000 Birr. They told us, 'Bring the weapons you have; if not, you will pay one million Birr as the estimated value of the weapons."'
Constitutional Law & Civil Rights According to her testimony, the family eventually paid 750,000 Birr, hoping their relatives would be released.
"While we were waiting expecting them to be released, people called us on Thursday saying bodies were lying on the ground... Their bodies were found in another district."
She said the family was forced to flee again while returning from the funeral. "At the time, I was a nursing mother; we were targeted because of our religion."
People & Society EHRCO also documented mass abductions in Shirka District, where family members said armed men entered villages at night and selected Orthodox Christians from their homes.
"They picked out Orthodox believers from their homes and gathered them without distinguishing between children, women, men, or the elderly. They then killed some of those taken and marched off with the majority."
According to the testimony, the captors later demanded 500,000 Birr for each abductee. "The money was collected and sent to them. We expected them to return after receiving the money, but to this day, we have been unable to learn their whereabouts."
One of the abductees who escaped described what he believed was an attempted execution. "They lined us up and took us to a riverbank and told us, 'Lie on your stomachs.' Hearing this, I thought they were going to lay us down and kill us."
The survivor said he chose to flee rather than obey.
"I thought, 'let them shoot me while I run,' and I ran. After running a short distance, I heard a volley of gunfire... Two years have passed; we do not know whether they are alive or not."
Christianity Another survivor, a 60-year-old farmer, recounted being kidnapped while harvesting teff in December 2024.
"Men coming from the forest struck me on the head with a machete and drove away about 30 head of cattle. They took 12 people, including myself, beating us with rifle butts as they marched us into the forest."
He said the captives were held for six days before being released after each paid 500,000 Birr.
"We slept in the clothes we were wearing; we could not sleep because they were right next to us sharpening sharp objects... Although they provided me with medical treatment while in the forest, my side still hurts to this day."
The report also highlights attacks that left children seriously wounded. Citing witness accounts from Guna District, EHRCO said armed men occupied villagers' homes in October 2025 before abducting 16 people over two days.
Witnesses told investigators: "After taking a total of 16 people, 14 of them were killed, while two children - aged four and eight - were shot and left behind."
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The children were discovered alive when residents returned to recover the bodies.
"The eight-year-old girl was shot in five places, while the four-year-old boy was shot twice, resulting in the amputation of his left leg."
According to EHRCO, the repeated attacks and the absence of effective protection forced 14,415 people to flee their homes, including 6,216 from Jeju District, 3,746 from Shirka, 2,133 from Aseko, 1,270 from Robe, 1,036 from Merti, 29 from Munisa, and 21 from Guna District.
The organization also documented widespread destruction of civilian property. It said churches were looted and closed in Jeju District, where five houses were burned and 62 others destroyed. In Robe District, eight houses were set ablaze, 235 cattle were looted, and property valued at approximately 10 million Birr was destroyed. EHRCO further reported that the 101-year-old Teleta Chefa Saint Gabriel Church in Aseko District was looted and burned.
In its recommendations, EHRCO urged authorities to "fulfill their constitutional and international obligations to protect the lives, physical safety and security of citizens," and called for "all perpetrators, as well as security officials who failed to discharge their legal responsibilities, to be held accountable in accordance with the law."
The organization also called for urgent humanitarian assistance for displaced communities and urged the federal government to exercise its powers under Proclamation No. 359/2003 to restore security if the Oromia regional government is unable to maintain public order and protect civilians.
