More people are being asked to sign a petition to stand with Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia that have been devastated by attacks by unknown attackers in the Arsi Zone.
More than 160,000 have already signed the Arise Africa petition by Christian persecution charity Open Doors which has a UK target of 200,000 signatures.
A recent wave of co-ordinated attacks in May and June have hit the East Arsi Zone of Ethiopia's Oromia region, which began at the end of May this year.
According to the charity at least a dozen Orthodox Christians were killed in the latest attack, with over 280 people displaced. In addition, the historic 101-year-old Telata St. Gabriel Church was also destroyed.
This isn't an isolated incident. In October 2025 Orthodox Christians were killed and displaced amid similar attacks. The exact death toll is unknown but reports state between 30 and 40 people lost their lives.
Earlier this year in March, almost 30 believers were killed when a market and a church were stormed by attackers.
It's unclear who is responsible for this wave of violence. This year Ethiopia's Human Rights Commission attributed the attacks in March to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), but an OLA spokesperson denied involvement.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has characterised the Arsi attacks as part of a broader effort to disrupt the country's democratic process.
What appears clear is that Orthodox communities are being targeted specifically as no one else in the predominantly Muslim zone has yet reported similar incidents.
In a recent statement on Facebook, Arsi Diocese Public Relation Media said: “Orthodox Christians have been forced from the homes where they were born, raised and built their lives. Their houses were singled out and burned solely because of their religion, and their property and livestock were looted. Those residents who survived the attacks fled with nothing but their faith and identity, and they are now left stranded in open areas without shelter,”
Christians account for 67% of Ethiopia most of which are Orthodox, with some Protestants and Catholics while Muslims account for around 31%, and the remainder practise traditional faiths or other religions
Advocacy groups like Open Doors have flagged Ethiopia as a country with rising persecution of Christians and have urged believers to pray and sign the petition in support of orthodox communities available from their website.