Attacks against Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church followers have flared up again in Arsi Zone, Oromia region, intensifying a two-year campaign of violence that locals say has escalated sharply in the past two weeks.
According to community sources, as many as 20 Orthodox Christians have been targeted in recent days. On Monday, a young man was reportedly killed in a brutal manner in Robe district, allegedly by armed men who continue to move freely in the area.
The violence persists despite repeated government assurances over the past four years that militant groups in Oromia had been neutralized and no longer posed a security threat. Residents say the reality on the ground tells a different story.
On Wednesday, four armed men reportedly set fire to four homes in Robe district and stole about eight cattle. Locals told Ethiopian Media Services (EMS) that dozens of residents have been abducted over the past two years, with no information about their fate.
Arsi has long been a hotspot for attacks by radical militants, some allegedly driven by a religious agenda aimed at expelling Orthodox Christians from the area. Community members link the ongoing violence to a broader campaign of targeted killings and forced displacement.
Neither the regional nor the federal government has commented on the renewed attacks. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has also remained silent on the latest incidents, despite the growing fears among its followers in the zone.
