An airstrike in the capital of Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray on Friday killed one person, a hospital chief said, the latest in a series of strikes since fighting resumed late last month.
Kybrom Gebreselassie of Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekele told Reuters that a 60-year-old cattle herder was wounded in the drone attack on the city’s Ada Housi district and died on the way to the hospital.
This morning, September 23, a drone attack around the Desta Hotel resulted in civilian casualties. We got one body. #TigrayUnderAttack.
— Dr. Kibrom Gebreselassi (@kibrom30) September 23, 2022
Ethiopia’s military spokesman, Colonel Getnet Adane, and government spokesman Leges Tulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mekelle has been hit by at least five airstrikes since fighting resumed between Tigrayan forces and the national government and its allies on August 24, violating a five-month ceasefire. Ethiopian authorities do not comment on the strikes.
The war began in November 2020 after Tigray forces seized control of military bases, saying they believed an attack by the Ethiopian military was imminent.
As a result of the conflict, thousands of people died, millions were forced to leave their places and created a humanitarian disaster.
The party that heads the regional government, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), dominated Ethiopia’s ruling coalition until Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018.
The Abia government accuses the TPLF of trying to restore Tigray rule over Ethiopia. The TPLF accuses Abiy of over-centralizing power and oppressing Tigrians.
