More than 60 people have been killed in a series of attacks on Christians in Ethiopia's Oromia region, according to the country's Orthodox Church.
One resident, whose 75-year-old father was killed, described it as an ambush. "We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions," he told BBC Amharic.
The regional government said that it would take action against those responsible.
A local official blamed the attacks on a newly formed rebel coalition, the Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The OLA has not commented but has denied carrying out previous such attacks.
A statement from the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said that 20 houses were burnt to the ground in the attacks. It did not say who was responsible.
Eyewitness told BBC Amharic that five of those killed were children.
A church official described the attacks on three areas in the Shirka district as a "massacre", saying security forces arrived at the scene but were unable to stop the assault.
Many residents have now fled the area.
Condemning the violence, the Orthodox Church said attacks against Christians had been increasing recently, and that "such actions undermine the country's values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence".
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Orthodox Church said it had repeatedly raised concerns about insecurity with authorities at different levels of government, but that "so far there has been no solution".
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council, a non-governmental organisation, said in a report released in July 2026 that 458 people had been killed in attacks in that area over the previous four years.
But this is one of the most deadly attacks in that period.
The report said armed groups had repeatedly targeted local communities, particularly followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, in what it described as religiously motivated attacks.
The government has previously blamed the OLA for the attacks, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed saying violence targeting civilians and religious institutions was part of a plan to destabilise the country.
The group, which says it is fighting for greater rights for the Oromo people, denies these allegations.
Previous reports have also documented attacks against Muslims in the area. Residents who spoke to the BBC on various occasions have described the violence as both ethnic and religious in nature.
About two-thirds of Ethiopians are Christians, mostly Orthodox, while one third are Muslim.
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