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THREAT INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING 34 Orthodox Christians Killed in Endato, East Arsi, Ethiopia Friday, November 6, 2026 UNCLASSIFIED // OPEN SOURCE BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT On Thursday, November 5, around 11 AM local time, attackers hit Endato village in Robe district, East Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The bodies of 34 Orthodox Christian victims were gathered at Endato Debre Mitmaq St. Mary Church. The community warns the toll may rise as recovery continues. Several people were injured. Shops and homes were burned or damaged. Eyewitnesses say roads were blocked, cutting off medical access. That claim has not been independently confirmed. WHAT HAPPENED - Midday attack in Endato Kebele, Robe Woreda, East Arsi. - Victims were Orthodox Christians. Bodies brought to St. Mary Church in Endato. - Follows October 20 and October 24 attacks in Merti and Shirka. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church reported about 60 Orthodox Christians killed in those earlier attacks. - Open-source reporting now puts the combined toll from attacks on worshippers at least 94 in less than three weeks. THE ATTACKERS No group has been publicly confirmed for the November 5 Endato attack. Ethiopia's Human Rights Commission attributed the earlier October attacks in the area to the Oromo Liberation Army. That covers those earlier killings. It does not, by itself, name who carried out Thursday's massacre. THE VICTIMS Orthodox Christian civilians in Endato. Names have not been fully released in the reporting we have. CURRENT STATUS Authorities arrested nearly 70 suspects after the October killings. Thursday's attack raises fresh concern that the violence has not stopped. Recovery is ongoing. Numbers may change. WHY IT MATTERS FOR CHURCHES HERE This is the third major hit on Orthodox communities in East Arsi in under three weeks. When violence comes in waves, later attacks often land while people are still burying the first. You are not facing that threat level in most of the United States. The lesson still transfers. Know your ground. Know who is coming to help you. Know how long that help takes. WHAT YOUR SAFETY TEAM CAN DO 1. Walk the outside of the building before every service. Lot, doors, bushes, trash areas, and anything that was not there last week. 2. Build a real relationship with your local police. Have a named contact, not just a non-emergency number. 3. Know your police and fire response times for a Sunday morning and a weeknight. Time it. Write it down. Plan to hold until they arrive. 4. After any incident or credible threat, expect a second wave. Keep coverage up while you handle the first scene. 5. Brief ushers and greeters on blocked-exit plans. Have a secondary exit. 6. Check claims before you share them. Wrong numbers hurt the people you are trying to help. Pray for the families in Endato, for the wounded, for the Orthodox Christians of East Arsi, and for those burying their dead again. Details may change as the investigation develops.