Drone strikes in Ethiopia kill at least 25: witnesses

A truck belonging to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) stands burned along a road following clashes between Ethiopian federal forces and armed groups opposed to the government in Adigrat on October 17, 2026. [AFP]

Multiple drone strikes have hit northern regions of Ethiopia since Thursday, killing at least 25 civilians, including children, witnesses and a medical source told AFP on Friday.

The Ethiopian government has been fighting rebels in the states of Amhara and Tigray over the past month, and has used its large supply of drones to win a decisive advantage.

But it has been accused of indiscriminate attacks that have killed civilians.

In Amhara, a witness said four drone strikes "were carried out one after another" on Thursday on a camp for displaced people.

"We have buried 14 people at the IDP centre. Two more died while receiving medical treatment," said Yasin, who requested anonymity, adding that children and pregnant women were among the victims.

Two other residents of the camp, one of whom said he had buried bodies, reported 14 and 15 deaths respectively, including several children.

The strikes at the camp, 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of the capital Addis Ababa, occurred "just as the students were coming home from school", recounted Ahmed, one of the two other witnesses.

"My sister-in-law was killed, and we couldn't even find her body because it was dismembered," he said.

'Heartbreaking'

On Friday, another drone attack in Tigray hit a grain lorry that had already been struck the night before, killing at least 11.

"Yesterday evening, around 9:00 pm, a drone strike hit a private vehicle carrying sorghum in the centre of Rama town," a resident told AFP by phone.

"This morning, people were collecting the scattered grain when another strike hit them," he said.

There were mixed reports on the number of deaths, with a medical source at a hospital confirming they had received 11 dead.

The ACLED conflict monitor said the drone strike was "believed to have been carried out by the ENDF (Ethiopian National Defence Force)... killing 12 civilians and injuring an unspecified number of people".

"It was very sad and shocking. There was another drone strike yesterday targeted armed fighters, and that did not surprise us. But today's attack was heartbreaking because it hit young civilians," said another local.

The Ethiopian army did not respond to requests for comment.

It has been fighting the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which launched attacks against federal forces last month.

But the rebels were ultimately pushed back and forced to abandon control of their strongholds in the northern state.

The TPLF has allied with other insurgent groups in other parts of the country, including one called the Fano in Amhara.

The fighting has raised fears of an international conflict as the Ethiopian army has advanced right up to the border with Eritrea, which has sent troops to support the TPLF.