Ethiopia: Overnight Explosions Reported in Addis Abeba Amid Northern Ethiopia Fighting

What the report says

Explosions were reported overnight in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia’s capital, as fighting in the country’s north intensifies and raises fears that the conflict could spread farther south. According to Addis Standard, diplomatic sources said blasts were heard shortly after midnight Thursday near the Ethiopian National Defense Forces headquarters and another military site, with residents reportedly seeing emergency vehicles in parts of the city afterward.

The report said one source linked to the opposition alliance fighting federal forces in northern Ethiopia claimed the group had carried out drone strikes in the capital, including against military facilities. Reuters, as cited by Addis Standard, said it could not verify that claim independently. The article also said the exact nature of the explosions, and whether there were casualties or damage, was still unclear at the time of publication.

The incidents came a day after Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service suspended drone flight permits in Addis Abeba and nearby areas, citing security concerns. The wider backdrop is a renewed escalation in northern Ethiopia involving federal forces and Tigrayan and allied groups across parts of Tigray, Amhara and Afar. Addis Standard also noted that humanitarian conditions are worsening, with reports of rising numbers of wounded and displaced people as the fighting expands.