At least 12 civilians were killed and several others wounded in a drone strike in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region as residents gathered to collect grain spilled from a truck hit in an earlier attack, according to local authorities and hospital sources.
The strike occurred on Friday in the town of Rama, where civilians had assembled to collect sorghum scattered along a road after a privately owned truck transporting grain for local traders was struck by a drone on Thursday night.
Local sources cited by Ethiopian news outlet Addis Standard said 12 people were killed at the scene, while several others sustained injuries, some of them serious.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), an independent conflict-monitoring organisation, also recorded the incident, reporting 12 fatalities, multiple injuries and property damage.
The identity of those responsible for the strike has not been independently established.
The attack comes amid renewed fighting in Tigray, where an escalation in drone operations has raised concerns over civilian casualties and the deteriorating security situation.
Earlier in October, separate drone strikes in Medebay Terer killed seven civilians, including an eight-year-old girl, and wounded six others.
Additional attacks in the Hintalo district reportedly claimed civilian lives, including that of a two-year-old child.
Violence has also intensified beyond Tigray, with drone strikes reported in neighbouring Amhara and western Oromia.
On Thursday, at least 16 civilians were killed and 22 others injured when a drone strike hit the Hayiq Jari 2 Turk displacement camp in Amhara, according to local reports and conflict monitors.
The latest attacks come as tensions rise between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea, raising fears of a wider regional confrontation.
Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea of supporting armed groups and deploying troops inside Tigray, allegations Asmara has denied.
Renewed hostilities and the increasing use of drones have heightened concerns for civilian populations across northern Ethiopia, where years of conflict have already devastated infrastructure, displaced communities and disrupted access to essential services.
