The Arsi Massacre: Silence, Blood, and Impunity in Ethiopia

It has been reported that at least 37 Orthodox Christians were killed — with some local reports citing figures as high as 49 — in coordinated attacks on 31 May and 1 June 2026 across multiple districts of the Arsi Zone in Ethiopia’s Oromia region. The latest Arsi massacre is the culmination of sustained silence from human rights groups and governments, even as killings, burnings, and looting have targeted Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia over recent years and months. Violence in the Arsi Zone has escalated significantly since July 2020, with local sources describing an ongoing pattern of mass casualties and displacements aimed at Orthodox Christians. This massacre is the fruit of ethno-religious hatred cultivated in Ethiopia for decades, targeting the Amhara people and the Orthodox Church. The regime has long been suspected of failing to protect its citizens from predictable attacks by militant groups. Diaspora researchers and outlets such as Borkena allege that prominent regional and federal officials — and, in some accounts, the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed itself — have facilitated this violence: through documented inaction and a persistent failure to protect, and, in allegations that remain to be independently substantiated, through policy direction or coordination with militia forces.

In Ethiopia, a militant strand of Islamism fused with ethnic hatred appears to have taken a new form: ethno-religious hostility aimed primarily at the Amhara and, by extension, at Orthodox Christians. The use of derogatory language such as “neftegna” during attacks points to the intersection of ethnic and religious targeting. So profound are the fear and suspicion among the population that the voices that should be loudest — those of religious leaders from every background — can barely be raised. The regime itself, apart from issuing a politicised statement portraying the perpetrators merely as groups seeking to derail a staged election, has taken no serious action to bring them to justice. Abiy Ahmed’s ruling Prosperity Party has, according to diaspora documentation, a record of denial regarding the killing of civilians in the Oromia region. In practice, the authorities have gone further, reportedly jailing Orthodox deacons and priests who dared to speak out against the massacre.

Analysts and diaspora researchers point to a convergence of long-ignored forces: the spread of Gulf-funded Salafist networks (the Heritage Foundation has documented the scale of Saudi religious funding across the Horn of Africa, including the construction of dozens of Wahhabi mosques in Ethiopia), concerns over the infiltration of transnational jihadist elements, and an extremist strand of Oromo identity politics hostile to the Amhara and to Orthodox Christianity. The precise weight of each factor remains a matter of legitimate debate — but the result on the ground is not in dispute: the massacre of Orthodox Christians, the burning of churches, widespread looting, and the displacement of entire communities. Drawing on years of attacks across the Arsi Zone, diaspora documentation and a widely-signed public petition compile cumulative figures exceeding 900 Orthodox Christians killed, more than 200 abducted or forcibly disappeared, over 40 churches burned, looted, desecrated, or forcibly closed, and at least 119 homes destroyed — figures that advocacy networks cite to convey the scale, and that await full independent corroboration. The victims include priests, deacons, elderly men and women, mothers, infants, children, and entire families.

Ethiopian Muslims have long been known for their peaceful coexistence with other faiths. It is therefore incumbent upon Ethiopian Islamic scholars to confront and reject extremist elements within Salafist teaching. Muslims should be able to declare, “Not in our name,” and stand alongside Christians in opposing these killers. The international community and all Christian groups must stand with Ethiopians and press the Ethiopian government — a government whose use of drones has caused disproportionate civilian casualties. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights documented human rights abuses affecting more than 8,200 victims in Amhara and Oromia in 2023 alone, a 56% increase over the previous year. The consortium’s own Drone Strike Monitor — built on Amhara Association of America documentation and cross-checked against international sources — records at least 147 drone and air strikes between August 2023 and April 2026, with more than 1,190 killed and over 300 injured.

Unless real pressure is exerted to compel action, the government will not act on the Arsi massacre, nor will it bring the perpetrators to justice. Between 24 and 28 October 2025, coordinated attacks reportedly struck multiple districts in Arsi and nearby areas, killing at least 24 Orthodox Christians — among them a toddler and an 86-year-old. In the Sherka district, sustained attacks since September 2025 have been grave enough to draw condemnation even from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia. No serious effort has been made to change course. We urge Christian groups worldwide to press their governments to send a loud and clear message to Abiy Ahmed’s government: end the killings of Christians, the burning of churches, and the looting and displacement of Christian communities.