At least 34 Ethiopian Orthodox Christians were killed on Thursday when gunmen opened fire in Endeto, a town in Robe woreda in Oromia’s Arsi zone, according to residents, church-affiliated media and regional accounts that put the wider death toll from attacks on worshippers at roughly 94 in less than three weeks.
Witnesses told reporters the assault began before dawn and continued for hours, with some accounts describing strikes on local militia and police posts as well as civilians preparing for morning prayers. Bodies were laid out at a church compound on Friday as families searched for the missing, while Oromia police deployed to the area.
What residents and church leaders describe
The Abay Times, citing residents who asked not to be named, said armed men killed 38 people in the attack, including civilians, militia members and police. Other tallies, including a church-linked broadcast citing local accounts, pointed to 34 confirmed dead. Witnesses said a priest walking toward church was among the first wounded and that gunfire hit gates around a St Mary church compound.
Earlier in the month, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said at least 60 Christians were killed in separate raids on 20 and 24 October in Merti and Shirka districts. The Holy Synod condemned those killings on 26 October and demanded stronger protection for congregations across Oromia, where armed groups and regional security forces have clashed for years.
Attribution and the security crackdown
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on Wednesday attributed the October attacks to the Oromo Liberation Army, an armed faction active in parts of Oromia. Ethiopian authorities said a follow-on operation after those killings led to nearly 70 arrests, but no group has claimed responsibility for the 5 November raid in Robe.
Conflict tracker Frontlines.et, grading the Endeto incident from two independent sources, listed reported fatalities in a 34–44 range and flagged the Oromo Liberation Army among actors involved in the wider Oromia fighting. Al Jazeera could not independently confirm battlefield claims from any side.
Why the violence unsettles Addis Ababa
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church counts more than 30 million followers and remains a visible anchor in towns like Endeto, where witnesses said Friday burials drew crowds still afraid to move at night. Archbishop Abune Elsa’e of the Arsi diocese said assaults on Christians in the diocese were continuing even as church leaders prepared pastoral visits to survivors of the October killings in Shirka.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has sought to wind down multiple internal conflicts while keeping federal authority in restive regions. Fresh civilian killings in Arsi, however, put pressure on federal and regional police to show they can secure worship routes and market mornings—not only conduct arrests weeks after mass funerals.
What happens next
Opposition party the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party called for an independent international investigation into the Robe attack. Federal officials have not published a full casualty list or named suspects in the 5 November deaths.
Church leaders are expected to press for protected convoys for religious festivals approaching in the Ethiopian calendar, while human-rights monitors warn that disputed death tolls and blocked access make on-the-ground verification slow. Residents in Endeto told reporters they welcomed the arrival of Oromia police but remained wary of new flare-ups from neighbouring woredas.