Three Orthodox Christians were killed on Monday in the latest string of attack in East Arsi, Oromia region of Ethiopia.
Mahibere Kidusan, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church entity, reported that the incident took place around 9 a.m. in the Teleta Gebriel locality of Arsi.
According to the source, the victims were working on a harvest in their farms. They were riddled with bullets to death in the farm, it was said.
The victims are identified as Diacon Ejigu (apparently serving in a church), Tilahun Boge and Tsadkane Serawitu who is said to be a ten years old boy.
Government forces deployed to the area seem to have failed to prevent killings.
Furthermore, an unspecified number of youth from the area are reportedly arrested over disclosing information on the killings and kidnapping of Orthodox Christians in the area.
News of the latest killing came at a time when the Inter Religious Council of Ethiopia released its first report on the investigation of the killings in four districts in Arsi area. It said the killing did not target the followers of a single religion or their clerics.
Thousands of followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are reportedly displaced from locations where there had been recurring attacks against Orthodox Christians.
Political observers and activists seem to allege that killings in Arsi were orchestrated with a goal of ethnic and religious cleansing. Moreover, they tend to see involvement of government officials in the orchestration of the killings.
Notably, government authorities from the area denied that there has been no killing in the area, and that the reports are “false with a political goal to instigate instability.”
