Amid a renewed fierce fighting between Fano and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), several civilians have reportedly been killed by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Drone strikes in the Amhara region.
Local sources said multiple drone strikes have occurred surrounding Bahir Dar, the capital of the Amhara regional state, and other areas in Gojjam and the North Shewa Zones (provinces) of the region.
The extent of the Drone attack and causalities on civilians have not been independently investigated, although civilians in the area have become panicked over the incident.
A drone strike came after the ENDF’s series of aircraft attacks in the region, a source adds.
A renewed fight started at the beginning of this month, following the ENDF’s announcement of a “major offensive” against Fano militias on October 1, 2024.
According to the recent report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the use of drones by the ENDF/Ethiopian Air Force caused 248 civilian deaths with 18 registered drone strikes in the region just between 4 August and 31 December 2023.
594 incidents of human rights violations and abuses impacting 8,253 victims have been registered in Ethiopia, whereby the state actors are responsible for 70 percent of the violations, the report indicates.
OHCHR has also underscored that the situation in the Amhara region is “concerning” with a total of 740 civilian deaths recorded in 2023 alone, “most of which were attributed to the government security forces”.
