By Muluken Tekleyohanes, Ambassador Media
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has sharply condemned the latest drone strike in Gedeb, located in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, an attack that once again highlights the growing human cost of unchecked violence. Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, the WCC’s general secretary, expressed profound sorrow over the tragic loss of civilian lives and denounced the assault as part of an alarming trend of similar attacks in recent months.
“This atrocity adds to a growing list of similar incidents, including another devastating drone strike in 2024 that targeted civilians,” Pillay stated. His words reflect not just grief, but mounting frustration at the repeated disregard for human life in Ethiopia’s conflict zones.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Ambassador Media, I believe that the use of drones — particularly autonomous or semi-autonomous ones — in civilian areas without rigorous compliance with international humanitarian law represents a dangerous new phase of warfare. It raises urgent moral and ethical questions that the global community can no longer afford to ignore.
Pillay’s call for adherence to international humanitarian law and an unconditional ceasefire resonates deeply with those of us who have witnessed the suffering firsthand. Every drone attack on a civilian community is not just a statistic — it is a tear in the social fabric of Ethiopia, a wound that could take generations to heal.
The increasing militarization of technology without accountability is a terrifying trend. Drones, once thought of as “precision” tools, have too often become instruments of indiscriminate death, especially in regions already torn apart by complex political and ethnic conflicts.
The WCC’s condemnation should serve as a wake-up call to Ethiopian authorities and to all parties involved in the conflict: the international community is watching, and history will judge harshly those who target the innocent. It is time for political and military leaders to choose the path of peace over war, compassion over cruelty, and dialogue over destruction.
As journalists and citizens, we must continue to raise our voices. Silence, in the face of such injustice, would make us complicit.
We stand with the victims. We demand accountability. And we join the call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
For more, see the WCC’s official statement: World Council of Churches News
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