Violence in Oromo has been ongoing since June 30, when popular Oromo singer and celebrity Hachallu Hundessa was shot dead in the capital. His murder revived long-standing tensions between Amhara and Oromo elites – the two largest people groups in the country. In the days following his death, 239 people were killed and more than 7,000 arrested during riots.

At least 500 Christians in Ethiopia have been murdered in the last two months by Islamists, according to a report by the Barnabas Fund.

The non-profit ministry, which provides support to the persecuted church worldwide, says it has confirmed attacks in at least 17 cities across the country.

“The attackers are from the Oromo ethnic group, which has traditionally been Muslim, and are members of Qeerroo (meaning, ‘bachelors’), an Oromo male youth movement,” says the Barnabas Fund. “In door-to-door attacks on Christian households the Qeerroo extremists arrived in cars and, armed with guns, machetes, swords, and spears, sought out and slaughtered Christians. Children were forced to witness their parents being brutally murdered with machetes.”

Violence in Oromo has been ongoing since June 30, when popular Oromo singer and celebrity Hachallu Hundessa was shot dead in the capital. His murder revived long-standing tensions between Amhara and Oromo elites – the two largest people groups in the country. In the days following his death, 239 people were killed and more than 7,000 arrested during riots.

The ethnic tensions, combined with a growing dissatisfaction with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, have also allowed religious violence to escalate.

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