More than 60 killed in attacks on Ethiopian Christians, Orthodox Church says.
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At least 60 people are reported to have died in attacks targeting Christians in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, with a church official calling the violence a “massacre”.
The Church put the death toll in Merti district on 20 October at 14, with another 46 people killed in Shirka district on 24 October, the Associated Press reported.
The Church’s Holy Synod said 20 homes had been burnt down. Victims are said to have included children and elderly people.
One man, whose 75-year-old father was among those killed, told BBC Amharic that residents had been caught by surprise.
“We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions,” he said.
Witnesses told the BBC that five children were among the victims. A church official said security personnel reached the area but could not halt the attack. Many residents have since fled. CT.
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