// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
More than 60 Christians killed in Ethiopia 'massacre', church official says
Attacks against Christians have been increasing recently, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
More than 60 people have been killed in a series of attacks on Christians in Ethiopia's Oromia region, according to the country's Orthodox Church.
One resident, whose 75-year-old father was killed, described it as an ambush. "We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions," he told BBC Amharic.
The regional government said that it would take action against those responsible.
A local official blamed the attacks on a newly formed rebel coalition, the Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The OLA has not commented but has denied carrying out previous such attacks.
A statement from the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said that 20 houses were burnt to the ground in the attacks. It did not say who was responsible.
Eyewitness told BBC Amharic that five of those killed were children.
A church official described the attacks on three areas in the Shirka district as a "massacre", saying security forces arrived at the scene but were unable to stop the assault.
Condemning the violence, the Orthodox Church said attacks against Christians had been increasing recently, and that "such actions undermine the country's values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence".
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Orthodox Church said it had repeatedly raised concerns about insecurity with authorities at different levels of government, but that "so far there has been no solution".