Ethiopia: Drone Strikes Kill Schoolchildren in Amhara, Civilians in Tigray Regions As Conflicts Show No Sign of Abating

Addis Abeba — Drone strikes in Ethiopia's Amhara and Tigray regions killed schoolchildren and other civilians on Tuesday, 20 October, according to eyewitnesses and local residents who spoke to Addis Standard, adding to mounting civilian casualties amid renewed fighting between federal forces and armed opponents in both regions.

In South Gondar Zone of Amhara, a drone strike hit Sana Elementary School in Dera Woreda, killing at least six schoolchildren and injuring more than 20 others, according to preliminary reports.

Separately, a drone strike in Finaruo village, in Saharti Samre Woreda of Tigray's Southeastern Zone, killed four people and injured six others as they loaded livestock onto a truck, local residents said.

The strikes occurred as drone attacks increasingly affect civilian areas and infrastructure in both regions, raising fresh concerns about civilian protection amid expanding aerial warfare.

In Amhara, the strike on Sana Elementary School occurred between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 20 October, in Sana Kebele, according to preliminary accounts. The injured children were taken to a local clinic, although their conditions were not immediately known.

Casualty figures remain uncertain. While initial reports put the death toll at six, other accounts circulating publicly have reported between seven and ten students killed and more than 25 wounded. Addis Standard could not independently verify the total number of fatalities.

An elementary schoolteacher who spoke to Addis Standard disputed claims circulating on social media that the strike targeted a nearby hideout used by Fano armed groups.

"This was a school with more than 150 students attending the morning shift; there was no armed people in the school or nearby," the teacher said. "There was not conflict in nearby areas. Many of our students came back to school after three- or two-years interruptions. We don't know why the school was targeted."

The teacher said more than 20 students had been wounded and that parts of two classrooms had been damaged, adding that the full extent of the destruction had yet to be assessed.

Videos circulating on social media showed parents rushing into the school compound and carrying children away as pupils fled in different directions. Some children appeared disoriented, while teachers attempted to direct them to safety. Others could be heard calling for the wounded to be taken for medical treatment.

Alemtshay, whose name has been changed for security reasons, told Addis Standard that her 11-year-old son, Dagim, had stayed home that morning because he was unwell.

"He was having fever and was down with a terrible cold. I was pushing to go to school because he has already missed two years of school due to the war and school closures," she said.

She recalled hearing screams from the neighborhood around 10:30 a.m., during the school's tea break, before families began rushing their injured children to a local clinic.

"It was a complete chaos; mothers were crying and wailing," she said. "When we heard there was a bomb dropped from a helicopter, some men started to go around shouting for people to not leave their houses because they were afraid there might be another attack."

Reflecting on her son's absence from school, she added: "I was unhappy when my son failed to go to the school but now, I know God was protecting him."

In Tigray, the strike in Finaruo occurred at around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 20 October, while a group of people were loading livestock onto an Isuzu truck, according to residents who spoke to Addis Standard.

Four people were killed, including the livestock owner and three people assisting him, while an unspecified number of animals also died, the residents said.

"What is most distressing is that the three of them were close relatives who were helping the owner," one resident told Addis Standard.

The six injured people were taken to different hospitals for treatment. Three were admitted to Samre Hospital, while the other three, who sustained severe injuries, were taken to Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Mekelle, according to the residents. Some of the wounded were aged between 13 and 17.

One resident said there had been no military movements involving either federal forces or Tigrayan forces in the area in the days preceding the attack.

"It has been almost days since the town was free of military movements from both sides," the resident said.

The latest attack follows a series of drone strikes in Tigray that have killed and wounded civilians and damaged schools and humanitarian infrastructure. The attacks have continued amid renewed fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan forces, which intensified on 23 September.

Earlier this month, a drone strike reportedly hit a shelter housing internally displaced people (IDPs) in Shiraro, in Tigray's Northwestern Zone, killing nine people and wounding 14 others, including a newborn baby. In Adwa, in the Central Zone, residents reported civilian deaths after drone strikes hit several locations in the city, although the exact toll could not be independently verified.

Other reported drone attacks have damaged residential neighborhoods, hotels, schools and media facilities. In September, a drone strike destroyed a Catholic Relief Services truck carrying more than 41 metric tons of food assistance intended for an IDP camp in northwestern Tigray. The United States condemned the attack and called for a transparent public investigation.

The renewed fighting follows the breakdown of the November 2022 Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which ended two years of devastating war in Tigray, and a sustained drone attacks . The latest escalation has displaced tens of thousands of people, with humanitarian organizations estimating that at least 150,000 people have been displaced across Tigray and neighboring Afar.

In Amhara, federal forces have been fighting Fano armed groups since 2023, with drone strikes becoming a recurring feature of the conflict. Previous attacks reported by Addis Standard have hit residential areas, health facilities and religious sites, causing civilian casualties and damaging civilian infrastructure. The army has also targeted fighters on their own side killing at least 40.

In July this year, a drone strike on Saint Kirikos Monastery drew condemnation from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the World Council of Churches, which called for impartial investigations. Earlier attacks have also killed children and other civilians in residential communities across the region.

The two latest strikes on Tuesday underscore the risks facing civilians as Ethiopia's conflicts increasingly involve aerial attacks by federal forces in populated areas.

Addis Standard could not independently establish the circumstances of either strike, determine the intended targets or obtain an official response from the Ethiopian military.

The casualty figures in both regions remain subject to independent verification.

Read the original article on Addis Standard.