This one is heavy. The BBC reports that more than 60 people were killed in a series of attacks on Christians in three areas of the Shirka district in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Eyewitnesses said five of the dead were children, and the church’s Holy Synod says 20 houses were burned.
What we know
- A church official called it a “massacre.” Security forces arrived but couldn’t stop the assault, and many residents have fled.
- A local official blamed a new rebel coalition that includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The OLA hasn’t commented and has denied earlier attacks.
- The church says attacks on Christians have been increasing and that it has raised the alarm with authorities “repeatedly,” with “no solution” so far.
- The Ethiopian Human Rights Council counted 458 people killed in that area over the previous four years.
My take
These are our brothers and sisters. Scripture says to remember those who are mistreated “as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3). So let’s do more than scroll past. Pray for comfort for the families, protection for the believers still there, and justice. Pray in the Spirit for the attackers too, that they’d meet Jesus like Saul did on the Damascus road. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18), and nothing can separate them from His love (Romans 8:35-39).
God Bless, and Happy hacking!
