In the East Gojam Zone of the Amhara Region, 16 people were killed and 10 others were injured in a drone attack on four houses in the area on Thursday, February 21, 2025, families and eyewitnesses told the BBC.
The attack occurred at around 5:00 a.m. on Thursday in a small rural town called Engash Kebele (Hamus Gebeya) in the Goncha Siso Enesse Woreda zone, “[The drone] was circling us,” said one eyewitness, who was about 100 meters from the scene of the attack. The victims were children playing in the street, shoppers, and people drinking tea, he said.
Witnesses described a “huge explosion” that immediately “filled the area with dust; the ruins of the house were covered in smoke,” and there was panic and chaos. Another eyewitness also mentioned that the area around the explosion was covered in dust and smoke, and that it was difficult to see the scene. also Another eyewitness said that within minutes, they reached the houses where the attack took place, pulled out the wounded and retrieved the bodies. “Children playing and people who had come to buy groceries were badly injured,”
The mother, who said that she went to the scene of the explosion in search of her son Mulugeta, who was a first-grade student when the attack occurred, said, “I found my son lying [dead] among the innocent [bodies].” The mother, who said that Mulugeta is her third child and the only child she lives with, told the BBC in a mournful voice, “He is my son who buys medicine for me when I am sick; makes coffee; makes tea; and takes care of me.”
A resident of one of the houses that was attacked, a tea house, was built with the support of the local community, and said that a 15-year-old boy named Tadesse Getachew, the son of the tea house owner, was killed in the attack, while a six-year-old child was seriously injured. The victims of the attack said they were distracted by the drone hovering over the area, saying “it doesn’t target innocent people.” The witness said the attack targeted a person who was “playing and chatting.”
Although the BBC has not been able to independently verify the footage and photos it received, the images show houses with their roofs blown off, walls collapsed, roof tiles falling off, clothes and shoes scattered around. Another eyewitness, who said he was in his shop not far from the scene of the attack, said the shops attacked were a petrol station and a tin can distributor, and that the victims were mostly people who had “come to buy tin cans.” Eyewitnesses who recovered the bodies, who said they found bodies piled up and severely injured, said, “They are safe. The people who were injured in the attack, whom we thought would survive, died instantly.”
A health worker, who asked not to be named, confirmed to the BBC that 12 people were injured and taken to a nearby private clinic, and that two teenagers died shortly after arriving at the clinic. The expert, who said that four of the 10 injured were seriously injured, said that the clinic was too small to treat the injured, so they returned home.
The medical professional added that it was also not possible to refer the injured for better treatment due to security concerns in the area. Families and residents of the victims said that the funeral of those killed in the attack, including child Mulugeta, was held on Thursday at the local Gabriel Church, and that the bodies of seven people whose identities could not be identified were buried together.
A resident said the local community is in a state of fear and panic following the attack, noting that people are confused about why the attack took place, asking “what have we done?” and “worrying.” The local community is very sad. We didn’t expect the government to do this. It was a flood of blood. Innocent people, children, and houses are destroyed, and it’s disgusting to be human,” he said.
“Houses are closed. There is a lot of panic; there is a lot of grief. Today my house collapsed; tomorrow my house will collapse. [Thursday] night, no one stayed home,” he added. Residents said that Fano forces are operating in Ingash Kebele and neighboring rural kebeles, and that government forces are also present in Gendewine, the capital of Yegoncha Siso Ense Woreda.
The conflict between government forces and Fano militants in the Amhara region, which has been ongoing for almost two years, continues, and human rights organizations have repeatedly stated that innocent people are being killed in attacks by both forces.
