Six followers of the indigenous Waaqeffannaa faith were reportedly killed by Ethiopian military forces in Sooddoo Daaccii district, South West Shaggar zone, on 9 June, according to a statement released the following day by Oromia National Media–Arrata Biyyoolessa Oromiyaa (ONM-ABO).
The victims, identified as committee members and participants of a local Waaqeffannaa religious community, were gathered at Malkaa Fincaa’a, a sacred site, to perform a traditional purification ritual near the river. According to eyewitness accounts cited by ONM-ABO, soldiers opened fire on the unarmed group at close range, killing six individuals on the spot.
The act has been described by local sources and Oromo rights advocates as a grave violation of religious freedom and basic human rights. The manner of the killings, described as brutal and deliberate, has sparked outrage and mourning among the wider Waaqeffannaa community and Oromo society at large.
Waaqeffannaa, an ancient monotheistic faith indigenous to the Oromo people, has increasingly come under pressure amid broader crackdowns on cultural and political expressions of Oromo identity under the Prosperity Party-led government. The incident at Malkaa Fincaa’a is being viewed by Oromo activists as part of a systematic attempt to suppress Oromo heritage and grassroots spiritual life.
No official statement has been released by the Ethiopian government or military regarding the incident. Calls are growing for an independent investigation and accountability for what ONM-ABO has termed a targeted and unlawful use of force against peaceful religious practitioners.
The killings come amid escalating tensions across Oromia, where the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) continues to mount armed resistance, citing government repression, cultural erasure, and political exclusion as core grievances.
