Believers attending a church in northern Ethiopia were severely beaten in an attack last month.

Fellow villagers in the town of Jeru attacked Christians who were members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on March 13, VOM Canada reports.

The town's church was also completely burned down in the course of the attack.

In Ethiopia, Islam is the dominant religion in the southern part of the country, while the northern areas adhere to the traditional Orthodox church.

Individuals who are not aligned with either set of religious beliefs face strong opposition from friends, neighbours, and family members.

Christians who do not follow Orthodox beliefs are considered to be second-class citizens not eligible to receive benefits that other citizens, who do follow Islamic or Orthodox Christian beliefs, receive.

Free land is provided by the Ethiopian government for building mosques and Orthodox churches. Burial plots are also free to individuals who follow the two dominant religions.

Ethiopia is considered to be the 39th most dangerous country in the world for religious persecution against Christians, according to Open Doors USA's 2020 World Watch List.