Burayu ( om, Burraayyuu; am, ቡራዩ) is a town and

woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas ( am, ወረዳ; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after '' zones'' and the '' regional states''. These districts are further subdivided into a number of ...

Oromia Region Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...

, located in the

Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne The Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne ( om, Godina Addaa naannawa Finfinnee) is a zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia that surrounds Addis Ababa (also known as Finfinne : literally "natural spring", in the Oromo language). It was created i ...

in the Oromia Region, directly adjacent to the Oromo and national capital

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, ...

(known as ''Finfinne'' in Oromia). With the growth of the capital in recent decades and

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

, the town has faced considerable economic and demographic pressures; its population leapt from around 10,000 in 1994 to an estimated 150,000 two decades later, as people, including many from the

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (often abbreviated as SNNPR; am, የደቡብ ብሔር ብሔረሰቦችና ሕዝቦች ክልል, Yädäbub Bḥer Bḥeräsäbočna Hzboč Kllə) is a regional state in southwestern ...

, migrated from the countryside looking for work, and residents of Addis Ababa pushed outwards seeking cheaper housing. In 2018, a massacre occurred in Burayu in which 55 people were killed. On 19 January 2022, during the

Ethiopian Orthodox Christian The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...

religious festival

Timkat Timket ( Ge'ez: ጥምቀት ''T’imk’et'') is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebration of Epiphany. It is celebrated on 19 January (or 20 in a leap year), corresponding to the 11th day of Terr in ...

, Oromo police shot into a crowd of Ethiopian Orthodox

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

oners of the Saint Mary Church at Burayu. The security forces of Oromia killed two believers and several people were injured, including elderly, women and children. This incident was said to have happened because of the flag that the parishoners used, a green, yellow and red flag with the Ethiopian Orthodox logo over it.

References

Populated places in the Oromia Region Ethiopia Cities and towns in Ethiopia {{Oromia-geo-stub