200+ ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS MASSACRED IN ARSI ZONE AS CHURCH STAYS SILENT
At least five members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church were killed on November 4, 2025, in a new attack in Merti district, located in Ethiopia's Arsi Zone of the Oromia region. The victims were reportedly working on teff farms when they were ambushed by armed men believed to be linked to the same group responsible for a mass killing the previous week.
Among the dead were a husband, wife, and a neighbor, according to local witnesses. Three individuals who had been missing since the previous attack were also found dead, bringing the total number of Orthodox Christian victims in the area to 33 since October 2025.
The previous week, 25 Orthodox Christians were killed in what residents described as one of the deadliest assaults in months. Local church representatives told DNE Africa that violence in Arsi has become increasingly targeted and brutal, with over 140 people reportedly killed since September in the Sherka district alone.
A representative of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Arsi told DNE Africa that more than 200 believers have been killed in Merti district over the past few years, calling for an urgent investigation and federal protection for vulnerable communities.
On October 27, 2025, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church reported that more than 25 civilians were killed in East Arsi Zone, Oromia regional state, in October 2025 alone. The majority of the victims "were Christians apparently shot dead or fatally stabbed by unknown gunmen," according to APA News.
The report stated that "five people were killed in Honqolo Wabe (Siltana) district." APA News further reported that three civilians were killed and four others abducted in what eyewitnesses described as a "religious motivated attack" carried out by "unidentified gunmen" around 10 p.m. on October 27, in Hela Zibaba Kebele, Shirka Woreda, East Arsi Zone of Oromia regional state.
An opposition coalition in Ethiopia called for investigating the government over the massacre of Orthodox Christians. The coalition shared information that 16 Orthodox Christians were killed in an orchestrated manner in East Arsi zone Merti district, with four victims from the same family. In Sherka district, three were killed and seventeen others abducted. In Holonko Wake district, three were massacred.
The coalition advised residents in the Arsi zone not to rely on protection from government structures in the area and to organize and protect themselves. In a statement released on November 2, 2025, the Coalition said "watching the recurring massacres in silence amounts to collaboration."
Church records from the Diocese of Eastern Arsi indicate that 114 Orthodox Christians were killed in Shirka District between September 2016 and November 2017, including infants as young as 70 days and elders up to 81 years old. Among the victims, children aged 2 to 11 were deliberately targeted, and attacks were motivated explicitly by victims' Orthodox faith.
Analysis of eyewitness testimony, church records, and international media reveals that attacks between 2016 and 2025 were facilitated, tolerated, and coordinated by political actors at regional and federal levels. Evidence implicates prominent regional and federal leaders in facilitating violence, whether through inaction, policy guidance, or direct coordination with militia forces, according to a report by independent researcher Dr. Caleb Ta.
The attacks were undertaken by unidentified militants and groups believed to be linked to OLF Shane, an armed group operating in Oromia. According to eyewitness accounts and church records, these attacks were systematically planned, exploiting local administrative structures to identify, isolate, and assault Orthodox communities.
Civilian casualties were recorded across multiple zones in Amhara Region and in East Arsi Zone of Oromia Region during the week of November 3 to 9, 2025. The attacks targeted followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, according to Amhara Association of America.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Christian institutions in the world, has repeatedly raised concerns about growing insecurity and targeted attacks in parts of Oromia. Observers warn that continued violence against religious groups risks deepening Ethiopia's already fragile social fabric, especially as the federal government struggles to contain multiple security crises across the country.
Catholic bishops in Ethiopia also strongly condemned attacks in the Oromia region in late October 2025 that claimed lives and destroyed property belonging to members of the Catholic community. In a statement issued November 4, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia called on the government to take urgent measures to protect citizens from further violence.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
Two hundred Orthodox Christians massacred in Merti district.
Infants 70 days old murdered.
Children deliberately targeted.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Christian institutions on earth, is being systematically exterminated in Arsi Zone.
And the church leadership stays largely silent.
Opposition coalitions are sounding the alarm.
Catholic bishops are condemning the violence.
But where is the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church's outcry?
Over 140 killed since September in one district alone.
Families ambushed in their fields.
Seventeen abducted in one attack.
This is genocide masked as ethnic conflict.
The victims are Orthodox Christians.
The perpetrators use local government structures to identify targets.
Federal forces withdraw before attacks.
This isn't random violence.
TAKE ACTION
1. International Christian Concern: Support emergency aid for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians at www.persecution.org or call +1 (800) 422-5441.
2. Demand accountability: Contact the Ethiopian Embassy and demand federal protection for Orthodox Christians in Arsi Zone. US Embassy: +1 (202) 364-1200 or email info@ethiopianembassy.org.
3. Amhara Association of America: Support documentation and advocacy at www.amharaamerica.org.
4. Voice of the Martyrs: Fund relief for families of massacred Ethiopian Christians at www.persecution.com or call +1 (918) 337-8015.
5. Share this story: Post with #ArsiMassacre #EthiopiaChristians and tag international human rights organizations to force attention on this genocide.
6. Pray and pressure: Intercede for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians daily. Email the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church demanding they speak out louder for their own people being slaughtered.
