eyewitnesses report multiple strikes on an internally displaced persons camp, while a conflict-monitoring organisation estimates that the death toll could be as high as 23.
At least 14 people, including women and children, have reportedly been killed in multiple drone strikes targeting an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
Eyewitnesses told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Friday that four successive drone attacks hit the camp on Thursday, killing residents and leaving several others injured.
A witness identified as Yasin, who requested anonymity, said 14 victims had been buried at the displacement centre, while two others died after being taken for medical treatment.
“Four drone strikes were carried out one after another. We have buried 14 people at the IDP centre. Two more died while receiving medical treatment,” he told AFP.
Yasin added that pregnant women and children were among those killed.
Two other residents also confirmed the casualties, although their estimates differed slightly, with one reporting 14 deaths and another putting the figure at 15. Both witnesses said children were among the victims.
Students Returning From School When Drones Struck
The attack reportedly occurred about 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.
According to another witness, identified as Ahmed, the drone strikes happened as students were returning home from school.
Ahmed also described the devastating impact of the attack on his family, saying his sister-in-law was killed during the bombardment.
“My sister-in-law was killed, and we couldn’t even find her body because it was dismembered,” he said.
Conflict Monitor Estimates Higher Death Toll
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), an organisation that tracks and analyses conflicts worldwide, estimated that between 16 and 23 people died in the strikes.
The organisation also reported that an unknown number of people sustained injuries but did not specify whether children were among the casualties.
The different casualty figures reflect the varying estimates provided by eyewitnesses and the conflict-monitoring organisation.
Drone Attacks Intensify Amid Amhara Conflict
The reported attack comes amid an increase in drone operations by Ethiopian federal forces across the Amhara region, the country’s second-most populous region, with more than 20 million residents.
Violence in the region has forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. United Nations figures published in July indicated that nearly 500,000 people had been displaced by the ongoing conflict.
AFP reported that it contacted a spokesperson for Ethiopia’s federal army for a response to the latest attack, but no comment had been received at the time of publication.
Displaced Residents Fleeing Conflict in Oromia
Eyewitnesses said many residents of the affected camp originally came from neighbouring Oromia, Ethiopia’s most populous region, where armed conflict has persisted for years.
The violence in Oromia involves federal government forces and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which the Ethiopian government has designated a terrorist organisation.
The OLA has maintained an armed insurgency against federal forces for more than eight years, contributing to insecurity and the displacement of communities in parts of the country.
The latest drone strikes highlight the continuing humanitarian consequences of Ethiopia’s armed conflicts, particularly for civilians living in displacement centres. The full circumstances surrounding the attack and the final casualty figures remain unclear.
