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A drone strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has killed at least eight people, including a child, a humanitarian source and a witness said Monday.
The strike took place in Sheraro on Sunday morning, according to the humanitarian worker, who told media that “eight people, including a child, were killed” and six others were seriously wounded.
A witness also confirmed the strike, saying a mother, her four children and one grandson were among those killed.
“I also know that three other people died,” the witness said.
The reports of civilian deaths came as fighting has intensified in Tigray, raising fears that Ethiopia’s renewed conflict could further endanger civilians and people who have already been displaced by previous fighting.
Ethiopian government-allied forces on Sunday regained control of Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies withdrew from the city following renewed clashes. The latest fighting marks a major escalation in a region that was devastated by a civil war between 2020 and 2022.
The renewed conflict has already disrupted essential services and humanitarian access in parts of Tigray. More than 16,000 people have reportedly been displaced into camps amid the recent fighting, while shortages of cash and fuel and disruptions to basic services have added to the humanitarian pressure.
The latest escalation follows weeks of fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan forces, with violence also spreading into neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions.
Human Rights Watch has previously raised concerns about the impact of renewed airstrikes in Tigray on civilians. The rights group said in September that an airstrike in the Daero area of Mekelle had injured civilians and called on all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.
The identity of those responsible for Sunday’s strike on the Sheraro camp was not immediately established in the available reports.
The humanitarian source said the six wounded people were in serious condition, but no further details about their treatment were immediately available.
The strike highlights the vulnerability of internally displaced people caught up in the renewed conflict. Many residents of Tigray were already displaced during the previous war and have faced repeated disruption to access to healthcare, food, water and other essential services.
The latest fighting has also raised wider concerns about regional instability. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting the opposition alliance led by the TPLF, allegations the countries have denied. Eritrea recently severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa closed its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats.
The African Union has urged restraint as the fighting threatens to undermine the November 2022 cessation-of-hostilities agreement that ended the previous Tigray war.
The conflict has also seen the increasing use of drones. Recent drone strikes have targeted military installations in several parts of Ethiopia, including air bases and airports, while suspected drone attacks have also been reported in Addis Ababa.
However, the circumstances surrounding the Sheraro strike, including its intended target and the party responsible, remain unclear.
The reported deaths bring renewed attention to the risks faced by civilians as fighting intensifies in northern Ethiopia. Humanitarian organisations and rights groups have repeatedly called on all parties to protect civilians and facilitate safe access for humanitarian assistance.