Security

US Expresses Deep Concern Over Killings in Arsi and Calls for Thorough Investigation

AI SUMMARY

The United States has urged the Ethiopian government to investigate recent targeted killings in the Arsi zone and hold perpetrators accountable.

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed deep concern over recent reports of targeted killings in the Arsi zone of the Oromia region.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church stated that more than 60 people were killed in attacks occurring about a week ago across various areas in the newly organized South East Oromia zone.
The Church reported that these attacks have persisted for years, primarily targeting its followers.
The U.S. strongly condemned violence motivated by religion, ethnicity, or politics and called for such attacks to stop immediately.
The federal government has not made an official statement regarding the killings, while the Oromia Regional Communication Bureau blamed a collaborative network of insurgents.
The Oromia regional official stated that the group attempted to incite ethnic and religious conflict as a distraction from losses in northern Ethiopia.
Unidentified armed forces have targeted residents and Orthodox Christians in the former Arsi zone over the course of many years, causing deaths and damage to homes and churches.