Ethiopia: Burials on Election Day

At least 37 Orthodox Christians were killed and churches burned during coordinated attacks in Ethiopia's East Arsi Zone between 30 May and 1 June 2026. While Ethiopia held highly contested general elections, Christian communities were burying their dead and thousands of civilians were fleeing their homes. The massacres are the latest episode in a continuing wave of violence against Christians in Oromia and add to mounting concerns regarding atrocities committed against the Amhara people throughout Ethiopia. In response to the deteriorating situation, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) has submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention, warning of the escalating risks faced by the Amhara people and Christian communities in Ethiopia.

On the morning of Monday 1 June 2026, as the Ethiopian government conducted highly contested general elections, the parish of Gado Kidist Mariam Church in Shirka district buried two cousins, Genene Tilahun and Murtesa Tilahun. The night before, armed men had come to their house and had stolen their belongings and their livestock. Their bodies were found roughly ten kilometres away from home, beside a road at a place called Mitana Gado[1].

The cousins were two among many. Between Friday 30 May and Monday 1 June 2026, armed men moved through the East Arsi Zone of Ethiopia's Oromia region and killed Orthodox Christian civilians in their homes, on roads, and as they fled. Furthermore, they burned the century-old Teleta Saint Gabriel Church to the ground[2]. They also looted and then burned the Kara Kuftena Medhane Alem Church[3]. Orthodox Christian households were specifically singled out, with homes set ablaze and properties looted.

The Days Leading Up to the Massacre

On Saturday, 30 May 2026, residents of the rural town of Teleta Chefa observed irregular armed movements. According to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), local militia members and counter-insurgency forces intervened to deter the suspicious gunmen operating around the area[4]. A clash then ensued between the mobilised forces and the irregular armed group. The armed group is alleged, by the EHRC and government sources to be none other than the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), although the group denies any involvement in these assaults[5].

Fearing an imminent attack on civilians, the residents urgently reported the activity to state security authorities. Local police and administrative officials assured them that the national army would arrive soon. However, the national army never arrived, and their concerns were simply dismissed[6]. In the absence of any effective intervention, the population was left exposed and vulnerable to the violence that ensued. This is not an isolated failure as state security actors have, on several occasions, shown similar inaction during previous attacks in the same area[7]. This string of massacres is not novel either but has flared up with renewed intensity since October 2025. The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) had published an extensive article investigating the issue in March 2026[8].

The Attack on Teleta Chefa and Kara Kuftena

On Sunday, 31 May 2026, the armed men moved through Teleta Chefa and Kara Kuftena. Survivors reported that the assailants carried Kalashnikov rifles and operated both in large, coordinated groups and in smaller mobile units of two or three people[9]. The violence was methodical and systematic. Those found at home, including the elderly, were shot or hacked to death where they stood. Those who ran were chased, and if caught, killed. Those who escaped had their houses burned behind them[10]. One resident told the BBC that the attackers planted the flag of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in the area as they advanced. "It is only the Christian household's house that has been burned to the ground,"[11] he said, insisting on the religious character of the targeting.

Places of worship were set ablaze in this attack. The 101-year-old Teleta Saint Gabriel Church, a religious landmark that had served successive generations of worshippers, was set on fire. Similarly, in Kara Kuftena, a residence used by church deacons was burned. As violence spread, the wounded survivors began arriving at the Aseko Health Centre for treatment[12]. The Deleta Chefa Health Centre, located a few kilometres away, was attacked and looted during the assault[13].

Flight into the Arba Gugu Forest

While fleeing this violence, entire families sought refuge in the dense woodlands of the Arba Gugu Forest. The area of Arba Gugu has historically been a site of persecution against Christians in Ethiopia, as evidenced by the early 1990s massacres in which “one hundred fifty-four Christians, mainly Amhara, were killed in Arba Guugu"[14]. This crime was attributed to the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), from which the OLA later splintered. Highlighting the severity of the plight of the survivors, the Archbishop of the area, Abune Elsae, was quoted saying “Those who survived the attack fled carrying nothing but their faith and identity.”[15]

Further violence occurred on the day of the elections as well. On Monday, 1 June, 2026, the violence expanded beyond the initial geographic confines of Teleta Chefa and Kara Kuftena. Assaults were conducted into at least seven additional administrative zones (called Kebeles), including Zedibu, Erecha Saint-Michael, Sunte Mariam, Bogdo Abo, Lencha Oda, Jiso, and Kuas Meda[16]. The assailants were seen advancing from village to village, killing residents and burning their homes. The youngest victim of these killings was Tere Desse, who was 25, and the oldest victim was Amare Belayneh, who was 80[17]. They were both gunned down in their homes.

No federal or regional reinforcements arrived during the critical period of the attacks.

Mass Burials and Displacement

The East Arsi Diocese documented thirteen victims by name. The identity of some of these victims was later confirmed by the EHRC. Among them were Demrew Abera, aged seventy, Kefalegn Likyelew, fifty-six, Eshete Damena and Abebayehu Dagne, both forty-two, Hailu Nigussie and Semu Abayneh, each seventy years old, Amare Belayneh, eighty and Tere Desse, twenty-five. The list also included Genene Tilahun and Murtesa Tilahun, the two cousins from neighbouring Shirka Woreda. It further incorporated Nigusu Mandefro and Bekele Haile-Mikael from Honkolo Wabe Woreda, as well as a local militia member killed while defending the community[18]. Witnesses suggest that the total death toll could very well be above forty[19]. The EHRC estimates that a staggering 2,650 residents have been displaced from the area due to the recent massacre[20].

Funerals were held on Tuesday 2 June 2026. Burials were carried out at various churches in the area, often in mass graves.[21]

The following day, Patriarch Abune Mathias condemned what he called the “brutal martyrdom of the faithful.” Directing his frustration at the security authorities' ongoing inaction, the Patriarch asked a single, piercing question: "Until when?" [22]

Christians and Amhara Under Growing Threat

The targeted nature of the massacres in Arsi raises serious concerns that Orthodox Christians are being systematically targeted because of their religious identity. However, this is not the sole form of persecution Orthodox Christians suffer in Ethiopia. The Amhara region, which is home to the largest Orthodox Christian population in Ethiopia[23], is currently in a state of war and the Amhara people around the country remain under a severe threat of genocide[24].

Recognising the escalating severity of these attacks, the European Centre for Law and Justice submitted an urgent letter to the UN Office on Genocide Prevention on 02 June 2026. The communication formally alerted the international body to the grave exactions being committed against both Christians and the Amhara people in Ethiopia. From repeated devastating drone strikes to calculated patterns of cleansing specific areas, the apparent pattern of attacks against Christians and Amhara civilians raises profound legal questions under both the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute.

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[1] BBC News Amharic, “በምሥራቅ አርሲ ሦስት ወረዳዎች በነዋሪዎች እና በአብያተ ክርስቲያናት ላይ የደረሰው ምንድን ነው?” published June 2, 2026, accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.bbc.com/amharic/articles/cx21vzvk4z2o, "በአንድ ቤት ይኖሩ የነበሩ ሁለት የእህትማማች ልጆች በጥቃት አድርሾቹ ከተወሰዱ በኋላ ተገድለው መገኘታቸውን ስማቸው እንዳይገለጽ የጠየቁ አካባቢው ነዋሪ ተናግረዋል። የሟቾቹ ንብረት እና ከብቶች መዘረፋቸውን በመግለጽ አስር ኪሎ ሜትር ርቆ በሚገኝ ሚታና ጋዶ የሚባል አካባቢ 'ገድለው ጥለዋቸው ሄደዋል' ብለዋል። ... የቀብር ሥነ ሥርዓታቸው ግንቦት 24/2018 ዓ.ም. ጋዶ ቅድስት ማሪያም ቤተክርስቲያን መፈጸሙን ተናግረዋል።", our translation: “A local resident, who asked not to be named, told [BBC] that on the evening of Ginbot 23/2018 [31 May 2026], two cousins (the children of two sisters who lived together in one house) were taken by the assailants and afterwards found killed in Shirka Woreda of East Arsi. The resident said the victims' property and livestock had been looted, and that '[the attackers] killed them and abandoned them' in a place called Mita Gado about ten kilometres away. ... The resident said their funeral was held on Ginbot 24/2018 [1 June 2026] at Gado Kidist Mariam Church.”

[2] Addis Standard, “News: 'Break this chain of attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice': Patriarch urges action after deadly East Arsi violence,” published June 3, 2026, accessed June 9, 2026 https://addisstandard.com/break-this-chain-of-attacks-and-bring-the-perpetrators-to-justice-patriarch-urges-action-after-deadly-east-arsi-violence/

[3] Addis Standard, "News: Several killed as armed attacks ravage East Arsi; Churches burned, residents seek refuge in forests," published June 2, 2026, accessed June 9, 2026,

https://addisstandard.com/several-killed-as-armed-attacks-ravage-east-arsi-churches-burned-residents-seek-refuge-in-forests/

[4] Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, "ኦሮሚያ፦ በአርሲ ዞን አሰኮ ወረዳ የደረሰውን የሰብአዊ መብቶች ጥሰቶች በተመለከተ," published June 7, 2026, accessed June 9, 2026, https://ehrc.org/ኦሮሚያ፦-በአርሲ-ዞን-አሰኮ-ወረዳ-የደረሰ/

[5] Oromo Liberation Front / Oromo Liberation Army (@OLF_OLA), official statement of denial concerning the Aseko attack, X (formerly Twitter), published June 4, 2026, accessed June 11, 2026,

https://x.com/OLF_OLA/status/2062610847059571169

[6] See footnote 3. 

[7] Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, "Human Rights Violations Resulting from Attacks in Arsi Zone of Oromia Region," published March 4, 2026, accessed June 9, 2026, https://ehrc.org/human-rights-violations-resulting-from-attacks-in-arsi-zone-of-oromia-region/, see also, Borkena, "Orthodox Christians continue to be targeted in Arsi Oromia, at least 37 killed," published June 2, 2026, accessed June 9, 2026, https://borkena.com/2026/06/02/ethiopia-orthodox-christians-continue-to-be-targeted-in-asri-oromia-region-at-least-37-killed/

[8] ECLJ, “Ethiopia: The Ethnic-Religious Violence Continues Amid International Reactions,” March 4, 2026, https://eclj.org/geopolitics/un/ethiopia-the-ethnic-religious-conflict-continues-amid-international-reactions?lng=en.

[9] See footnote 3.

[10] See footnote 1, “በቤታቸው የተገኙትን እየገደሉ፣ የሸሹትን ቤታቸውን እያቃጠሉ ሄደዋል' ብለዋል።”, our translation, “They killed those who were found in their homes, and as for those who fled, they burned their houses”

[11] Ibid, “'የክርስቲያን ቤት ሙሉ በሙሉ ተቃጥሏል'” our translation, “The Christians' homes have been burned to the ground”.

[12] See footnote 3.

[13] Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, "Oromia: Concerning Recent Human Rights Violations in Aseko Woreda, Arsi Zone," published June 7, 2026, accessed June 11, 2026, https://ehrc.org/oromia-concerning-recent-human-rights-violations-in-aseko-woreda-arsi-zone/

[14] Human Rights Watch "Ethiopia: Human Rights Developments," Human Rights Watch World Report 1993, published January 1993, accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/WR93/Afw-01.htm

[15] Abune Elsae, Archbishop of the Arsi and Somali Region Jigjiga Dioceses, Public Statement on the attacks of 31 May to 1 June 2026 in East Arsi Zone, posted by የአርሲ ሀገረ ስብከት ሚድያ Miidiyaa Biyya Lallaba Arsii, Facebook, published June 2, 2026, accessed June 9,2026,

https://www.facebook.com/MiidiyaaBiyyaLallabaArsii/posts/pfbid034PNVzURYxREqYyyz1pVMUULrDDiMtcPy3sSKnXdUWQ6kjgSibSW8NQi2kEprwQmjl, our translation of, “ከጥቃቱ የተረፉት ነዋሪዎችም ይዘውት የሸሹት እምነታቸውንና ማንነታቸውን ብቻ በመሆኑ አሁን ላይ ሜዳ ላይ ወድቀው ይገኛሉ”.

[16] Abune Elsae, Archbishop of the Arsi and Somali Region Jigjiga Dioceses, official letter to the Office of the Patriarchate of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on the attacks of 31 May to 1 June 2026 in East Arsi Zone, posted by የአርሲ ሀገረ ስብከት ሚድያ Miidiyaa Biyya Lallaba Arsii, Facebook, published June 2, 2026, accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122115212487225189.

[17] See footnote 1, see also footnote 3.

[18] See footnote 14.                 

[19] See footnote 3.

[20] See footnote 7.

[21] See footnote 1, “ከተገደሉት መካከል 'አስከሬናቸው ተነሰቶ ያልተቀበረ አለ' ያሉት የቤተክርስቲያኑ አገልጋይ ቀሪዎቹ ግን በተለያዩ አብያተ ክርስቲያናት በጅምላ መቀበራቸውን ተናግረዋል።”,our translation, “The church servant, who said that 'among those killed there are some whose bodies have not been recovered and buried,' said that the rest were buried collectively at various churches.”

[22] Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Patriarchate Head Office, "ብፁዕ ወቅዱስ አቡነ ማትያስ ቀዳማዊ ፓትርያርክ ርእሰ ሊቃነ ጳጳሳት ዘኢትዮጵያ ሊቀ ጳጳስ ዘአኵስም ወእጨጌ ዘመንበረ ተክለሃይማኖት በአርሲ ሀገረ ስብከት በቤተ ክርስቲያናችን እና በኦርቶዶክሳውያን ላይ የደረሰውን ጥቃት በማስመልከት አባታዊ መልእክት አስተላለፉ" published June 3, 2026, accessed June 11, 2026, https://eotceth.org/a/ብፁዕ-ወቅዱስ-አቡነ-ማትያስ-ቀዳማዊ-ፓትር-14/. 

[23] U.S. Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom, 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Ethiopia (Washington, DC, 2024), published June 26, 2024, accessed June 11, 2026, https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/ethiopia/.

[24] Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, "Active Genocide Alert for Ethiopia – Update 2," published May 15, 2026, accessed June 11, 2026, https://www.lemkininstitute.com/active-genocide-alert-1/active-genocide-alert-for-ethiopia---update-2.