Summary
Multiple media sources reported an attack at St Rufael’s Orthodox Church in Chole, Sherka Woreda, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, causing 46 casualties in October 2026. CIR’S verified and geolocated imagery confirms a mass burial site at St Rufael’s Orthodox Church in Chole, Sherka Woreda, Arsi Zone, containing 33 bodies, consistent with reports of a large scale attack against Orthodox Christian civilians. User-generated content (UGC) of the burial pit shows bodies inside, three of them significantly smaller than the others. While CIR could not, at the time of writing and due to the limited information available, independently verify either the reported killings or the perpetrators’ motives, there is a realistic possibility that the victims were targeted on account of their Christian identity, particularly given that CIR has documented similar incidents in the area in the past.
Key findings
- CIR geolocated open-source content depicting a mass burial site approximately 50 meters from St Rufael’s Orthodox Church in Chole, Sherka Woreda, Arsi Zone: 7.551509, 39.618038.
- UGC of the burial pit shows multiple bodies inside, including at least three significantly smaller bodies consistent with children.
- CIR assesses that at least 33 individual bodies are visible in the UGC.
- The footage appears to show the bodies of deceased civilians before burial.
- CIR identified imagery of a child, reported to be among the victims, lying on a bench under a blanket.
Report details
Incident description
Between 26 and 28 October 2026, CIR noted multiple sources claiming that 46 people were killed in at least two incidents in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia region. In the Sherka Woreda incident on 24 October, residents stated the victims included women, elderly people and at least six children under the age of 15, with many of those killed reportedly being followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Another statement claimed that “armed men were going door to door,” and that the atrocities were committed by heavily armed attackers carrying AK-47 rifles and other weapons.
CIR analysis
Geolocation of the Chole Burial site in Sherka Woreda
Figure 1: CIR geolocated footage sourced primarily from TikTok and X to St Rufael’s Orthodox Church in Chole, Sherka Woreda, matching key visual indicators to identify the burial site as at approximately [7.551509, 39.618038]. (Source: Google Earth Airbus imagery from 2023, overlaid from X and TikTok sources).
CIR has verified UCG associated with one incident in Sherka Woreda where multiple deaths are attributed to violence against Orthodox Christians. One article by ABC notes that 46 people were killed on 24 October 20264 in relation to this violence, having interviewed one individual who reportedly travelled to Tereta Chole to attend funerals that same Saturday and help transport the wounded. Social media posts collected by CIR have also alleged the names and ages of these 46 victims [removed for privacy reasons], including five alleged minors, the youngest being four years old.
CIR geolocated UGC showing a mass burial site at approximately [7.551509, 39.618038], approximately 50 meters from St Rufael’s Orthodox Church in Tereta Chole, Sherka Woreda, Arsi Zone. CIR geolocated further footage showing an indoor area of body storage [7.551617, 39.617980], and footage close to the burial site of additional bodies [7.551670, 39.618030]. CIR created a visual to illustrate this (Figure 1). This was achieved by cross-referencing multiple pieces of footage, provided in Annex B, with high-resolution imagery from Google Earth.
CIR assesses it as ALMOST CERTAIN that a mass burial took place at St Rufael’s Church. CIR also assesses it as HIGHLY LIKELY that this burial took place on 24 October 2026, given a lack of original footage appearing online before this time and witness reporting from outlets such as ABC and BBC Amharic about this funeral. CIR will continue to attempt to chronolocate this event when satellite imagery becomes available for assessment, and will then conduct a shadow analysis to determine the funeral’s exact time.
Additionally, many of the videos identified around the burial site show Amharic being spoken. Linguistic analysis of TikTok videos posted on 24 and 26 October 2026 suggests the individuals are native Oromo who are speaking Amharic. This is consistent with individuals residing in the rural area of Sherka Woreda.
CIR verified two separate pieces of footage of the mass burial site. One piece shows 30 individual bodies, 3 of which are significantly smaller than others. The second shows 33 separate bodies, 1 of which is significantly smaller than others. CIR therefore assesses there was a mass casualty event, aligning with the social media reports of 46 victims of violence on 24 October, and that victims included children.
While CIR has been unable to verify the content of the incidents of killings themselves at this time, given the injuries on bodies present in UGC and the number of bodies, as well as the bodies being buried on Orthodox Christian Church grounds, CIR assesses it as a REALISTIC POSSIBILITY that individuals were killed in relation to persecution of their Christian identity. However, the footage itself does not confirm this. The lack of available footage of the incidents surrounding the individuals’ deaths precludes CIR from confirming any rationale behind the killings.
Victims
Multiple sources report 46 victims allegedly killed in Sherka Woreda. Social media posts collected by CIR have also alleged the names and ages of these 46 victims, including five alleged minors. The youngest victim is said to be four years old.
In footage of the burial pit, CIR assessed that at least 30 individual bodies are visible. In further verified footage, CIR counted at least 33 separate bodies. Both counts are minimums, and the visible count in any single piece of footage is lower than the reported total of 46. CIR cannot determine from the available content whether the remaining bodies were out of frame, obscured, or located elsewhere. CIR therefore assesses the visible evidence as being consistent with, but not independently confirming, the reported figure, and that it is HIGHLY LIKELY, given that UCG cannot clearly show the distinction between every body in the footage, that at least 33 individuals were buried in the mass grave.
Some bodies in multiple pieces of footage were partially covered, demonstrating a likely deceased individual underneath. Some individuals appear to have blood present, suggesting a death resulting from injury. However, the content was not detailed enough to visually assess any injuries with a high level of confidence.
At least three bodies in geolocated content of the burial pit itself were significantly smaller compared to others, indicating the possibility that these bodies are those of children. CIR also identified imagery of one young child that cannot be geolocated, said to have been a victim of the attack, lying on a structure visible in other footage as being used to carry bodies, under a visually similar blanket that CIR geolocated to St Rufael’s churchyard in Chole, covering a smaller body. The same blanket also appears in UGC of the burial pit, wrapping one of the aforementioned smaller bodies. However, this is only a partial colour match, as the content is not high enough quality to assess the material. This assessment supports the reporting of minors having been killed.
Due to the graphic imagery involved, CIR has declined to share images of the bodies. Further information is available upon request.
Evidence limits
- No sufficiently recent satellite imagery – high resolution or otherwise – was available to confirm the geolocation within the date claimed. Absence of observable evidence should not, however, be interpreted as evidence that activity did not occur. The geolocation of a mass burial site strongly indicates this incident occurred, despite the lack of corroborating satellite imagery.
- Inauthentic, recycled and AI imagery has been used in social media posts about this event. This includes an altered image of a child victim that CIR identified, with a religious cross, appearing as a statue. This kind of imagery, as well as misleading posting, suggests that this event, and the narrative surrounding it, are also being used to bolster claims about religious persecution against Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia. CIR is conducting ongoing investigations into claims of other events taking place in Oromia against Orthodox Christians, but cannot confidently assess a pattern of behaviour.
Further investigation
In light of the findings of this report, CIR recommends a more in-depth investigation into the following issues:
- Investigation of similar massacres over the past 12 months;
- Investigation of the video footage collected allegedly showing civilian infrastructure on fire in the Arsi Zone.
- Ongoing monitoring to identify additional instances of mass casualty events associated with religious persecution in Oromia in future.
Source list
- Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), condolence statement, 26 October 2026, shared by EOTC TV (Facebook post).
- EOTC TV, Facebook video of the same statement, 26 October 2026.
- EOTC TV, Telegram post on earlier incidents in Shirka and Honqolo Wabe woredas, 19
October 2026. - Reuters.
- BBC.
- Addis Standard.
- Borkena.
- ABC News (AP wire), interview with a funeral attendee.
- Facebook (Tigray Today), post sharing an OCP News Service / EOTC Germany Archdiocese article, 26 October 2026.
- Facebook video, mass burial in a graveyard, 25 October 2026.
- User-generated content (UGC): burned houses, Sole kebele, Shirka woreda: TikTok 1, TikTok 2, TikTok 3.
Additional sources are not mentioned because they include graphic content.