Dozens of pro-government fighters were killed when an Ethiopian military drone struck their camp in the Amhara region on January 15, local officials and medics have reported.
The strike in Waghemira, a region that has seen sustained fighting between government forces and armed militias, hit a camp housing pro-government fighters, resulting in what sources described as a deadly friendly-fire incident.
A local official, who spoke to AFP by phone on condition of anonymity, said the attack struck a camp that had long been used by militia fighters supporting government operations.
According to the official, military personnel later described the strike as a “mistake”, despite the drone having reportedly hovered over the area for an extended period beforehand.
“I immediately saw smoke and fire… I rushed to the scene… I saw body parts of the dead as well as the injured agonising in pain,” the official said, describing the aftermath of the strike. He added that 36 fighters died instantly, while two others lost their lives while undergoing treatment.
However, medical staff who responded to the incident say the death toll is even higher. Abebaw Zinabu, a medic who treated several of the wounded, told AFP that “more than 40” people were killed in the attack.
The incident has sparked concerns over how a strike could hit a camp well known to the military and occupied by fighters who had supported federal forces for years.
“How can an attack happen by our forces on a well-known camp that has been home to militia members for the past six years, defending the government, fighting in the desert and valleys, away from their families and loved ones?” the official posed.
Amhara, Ethiopia’s second most populous region with around 23 million residents, has been engulfed by violence since April 2023, when the federal government attempted to disarm the ethnic Fano militia, triggering widespread resistance.
Drone warfare has become a central pillar of Ethiopia’s military strategy in Amhara, but repeated reports of misdirected or civilian-harming strikes have intensified concerns over accountability as the conflict drags on.