Ethiopia's Oromia region sees 60 Christian deaths in recent attacks.

In the past week, at least 60 people were killed in a series of attacks in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. All of the victims were Christians, the church said in a statement released on Sunday. The incidents, which occurred across several towns in the region, have drawn swift condemnation from local religious leaders and prompted the federal government to promise a thorough investigation.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the largest Oriental Orthodox body in sub‑Saharan Africa, traces its origins to the Christianization of the Kingdom of Aksum in the early fourth century. With an estimated 38 to 51 million adherents in Ethiopia and a global membership of around 60 million, it has long been a pillar of Ethiopian cultural and spiritual life. The church’s presence in Oromia— Ethiopia’s most populous region—means that any violence against its congregants carries significant social and political weight.

Oromia has been a flashpoint for ethnic and political tensions since the 2020 protests that erupted over the perceived marginalization of the Oromo people by the central government. Over the last year, clashes between the federal security forces and armed Oromo groups, as well as inter‑ethnic violence involving Amhara militias, have left hundreds dead and displaced thousands. The government has portrayed the unrest as an insurgency that threatens national unity, while Oromo activists argue that the state’s heavy‑handed response exacerbates grievances. The recent attacks on Christian communities have been described by some observers as an attempt to inflame sectarian divisions in a region already fraught with ethnic strife.

The Ethiopian government has blamed extremist elements for the killings, citing intelligence reports that link certain militia factions to radical Islamist networks that have historically targeted religious minorities. In response, the federal ministry of peace and security pledged to deploy additional troops to the affected districts. Meanwhile, the church’s hierarchy has called for restraint and urged both sides to engage in dialogue. The Ethiopian Council of Churches issued a joint statement calling for an immediate cessation of violence and for the protection of all religious minorities, regardless of faith.

The international community has reacted with concern. The United Nations Human Rights Council issued a statement urging the Ethiopian authorities to investigate the incidents promptly and to ensure accountability. The World Council of Churches, of which the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is a founding member, condemned the violence and called on the government to uphold the constitutional guarantee of freedom of worship. Ethiopia’s economic partners, particularly those in the coffee and textile sectors, have expressed worry that sustained instability could disrupt the country’s exports, which constitute a significant share of global supply chains for these commodities.

For Taiwan, the situation underscores the broader importance of stability in Africa’s key economic regions. Ethiopia remains a major partner for Taiwan’s trade office in Addis Ababa, and the country’s coffee exports are a vital component of global markets that Taiwan’s businesses rely on for raw materials and consumer goods. Any prolonged unrest could affect supply chains and diplomatic engagement across the continent, reminding Taipei that regional security dynamics in East Africa can have ripple effects on international trade and the global economy.