An Ethiopian air base reportedly came under attack while Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was visiting, according to accounts attributed to media platforms aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The allegation has not been independently verified.
The reports, carried by Sudanese media, claimed an explosion occurred inside Harar Meda air base, southeast of Addis Ababa, while Abiy was attending a holiday celebration. They said he escaped unharmed.
Accounts differed over what allegedly caused the explosion, with some describing a drone strike and others referring to a missile or artillery attack.
One version attributed the alleged strike to forces belonging to the opposition “Alliance for Survival.” Preliminary claims put the death toll at three, but neither the casualties nor Abiy’s presence at the base has been independently confirmed.
The supplied report acknowledged that there was no official or independent confirmation of its account. It also did not establish whether Abiy himself was the intended target.
The claims come amid growing tensions between Ethiopia’s federal government and armed opposition groups.
Seven Ethiopian armed groups announced the formation of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival earlier this month, pledging to remove Abiy’s government. The coalition includes the TPLF and the Amhara Fano National Movement, former adversaries during the 2020–2022 war in northern Ethiopia.
Despite their shared opposition to Abiy, the alliance’s members remain divided over territorial and political issues, raising questions about the extent of their military cooperation.
