Drone Strikes Kill 25 Civilians Including Children in Ethiopia

At least 25 civilians, including children, have been killed in multiple drone strikes across northern Ethiopia amid renewed fighting between government forces and rebel groups.

The attacks, which occurred in the Amhara and Tigray regions between Thursday and Friday, were reported by witnesses and a medical source to the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

In the Amhara region, four successive drone strikes reportedly hit a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) on Thursday, killing at least 16 people.

A witness identified as Yasin told AFP that 14 bodies had been buried at the camp, while two other victims died while receiving medical treatment.

He added that children and pregnant women were among those killed in the attack.

Another witness, Ahmed, said the strikes occurred as students were returning home from school. He also disclosed that his sister-in-law was among the victims.

In a separate attack in the Tigray region on Friday, a drone strike reportedly hit people gathering scattered grain from a lorry that had been attacked the previous night in Rama town.

A medical source at a local hospital confirmed that 11 bodies were received following the attack.

The conflict monitor, Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), attributed the strike to the Ethiopian National Defence Force, reporting that 12 civilians were killed, while an unspecified number were injured.

The latest attacks come amid renewed hostilities between Ethiopian government forces and rebel groups in the country's northern regions.

The Ethiopian army has been fighting the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which launched attacks against federal forces last month before being pushed out of its strongholds.

The TPLF has also formed alliances with other insurgent groups, including the Fano militia in the Amhara region.

The Ethiopian government has increasingly relied on drones in its military operations, but has faced accusations of carrying out indiscriminate attacks that have resulted in civilian casualties.

The Ethiopian army had yet to respond to requests for comments on the latest strikes as of Friday.

The renewed fighting has also heightened fears of a wider regional conflict, with Ethiopian forces advancing towards the Eritrean border and Eritrean troops reportedly supporting the TPLF.