Ethiopia

Casualties

In December 2022, there were two incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia, which resulted in 15 civilian casualties, one of whom was killed and 14 injured. There were no armed-actor casualties recorded in Ethiopia in December. 

The highest casualty incident occurred on 27 December 2022 when one civilian was killed and seven injured in a grenade attack in a bar in Adama, Oromia.

Sources: Addis Standard, GeoPioneer

Casualties

In November 2022, there was one incident of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia, which resulted in 30 civilian casualties, all of whom were killed. There were no armed-actor casualties recorded in Ethiopia in November. 

On 9 November 2022 in Mandi, Oromia, at least 30 people were killed in a suspected Ethiopian drone strike on the town.

This was a significant decrease in the number of incidents of explosive weapon use reported in Ethiopia in November 2022 compared to October, when there were seven incidents of explosive violence recorded, causing 336 civilian casualties (150 killed and 186 injured). 

Sources: Crisis24, Addis Standard, BBC

Casualties

In October 2022, there were seven incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia, which resulted in 336 civilian casualties, 150 of whom were killed and 186 injured. At least one civilian casualty was a woman, and four were children. There were no recorded armed-actor casualties.

All civilian casualties occurred in populated areas. Specifically, 50% (168) occurred in villages, 27% (91) in urban residential areas, 15% (50) in schools, 6% (20) in encampments, and 2% (7) in schools.

The regions in which civilian casualties were reported in Ethiopia were Tigray (168 civilian casualties) and Oromia (168).

All civilian casualties were caused by state actors’ use of explosive weapons, specifically Ethiopia (221 civilian casualties), unknown state actors (93), Eritrea (20), and Eritrean and Ethiopian together (2).  

The use of air-launched weapons caused the majority, 93% (314), of civilian casualties, specifically air strikes. Ground-launched weapons caused 7% (22) of civilian casualties, specifically non-specific shelling. 

The highest casualty incident took place on 23 October 2022, when at least 68 civilians were killed and over 100 injured in an Ethiopian drone strike on Ofu Bekke village, Oromia.

The number of incidents of explosive weapon use in Ethiopia in October 2022 saw a rise from September, in which six incidents caused 35 civilian casualties (20 killed and 15 injured). In August, there were two reported incidents of explosive weapon use which caused nine civilian casualties, seven of whom were killed and two injured.

Sources: Addis Standard, Reuters 

Casualties

In September 2022, there were six incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia, which resulted in 35 civilian casualties, 20 of whom were killed and 15 injured. At least one civilian casualty was a child, and three were women. There were no recorded armed actor casualties.

The majority of civilian casualties, 97% (34), occurred in populated areas. Specifically, 91% (32) occurred in urban residential areas, 3% (1) occurred in hotels, and 3% (1) in schools.

The regions in which civilian casualties were reported in Ethiopia were Tigray (32 civilian casualties) and Amhara (3).

The majority of civilian casualties, 91% (32), were caused by state actors’ use of explosive weapons, specifically Ethiopia (26 civilian casualties) and Eritrea (6). Non-state actors, specifically the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), caused 9% (3) of civilian casualties.  

The use of air-launched weapons caused the majority, 91% (32), of civilian casualties, specifically air strikes. Ground-launched weapons caused 9% (3) of civilian casualties, specifically non-specific shelling. 

The highest casualty incident took place on 14 September 2022, when 10 civilians were killed and at least 13 injured in an Ethiopian drone strike on Midre Genet square, a residential neighbourhood in Mekelle, Tigray.

The number of incidents of explosive weapon use in Ethiopia in September 2022 saw a rise from August, in which two incidents caused nine civilian casualties (seven killed and two injured). In July, there were three reported incidents of explosive weapon use which caused 12 civilian casualties, all of whom were injured.

Sources: Reuters, Reuters II, Bloomberg

Casualties

In August 2022, there were two incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia, which caused nine civilian casualties, seven of whom were killed and two injured. At least two women and three children were among the civilian casualties. There were no armed-actor casualties recorded in August.

The highest casualty incident occurred on 26 August 2022, when seven civilians, including three children and two women, were killed in an Ethiopian air strike on a playground in Mekelle, Tigray.  

Sources: AP, Reuters, MNA

Casualties

In July 2022, there were three incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia, two of which caused 12 civilian casualties, all of whom were injured. There was at least one woman among the casualties. Civilians accounted for 92% of the total 13 casualties, as one armed actor was also killed.

The highest casualty incident occurred on 11 July, when 11 civilians were injured in an IED explosion at a market in Dessie city, Amhara. The IED was wrapped in straw and placed by unknown perpetrators where merchandise was being loaded and unloaded.  

Sources: Crisis24, Addis Standard

Casualties

In June 2022, there were no incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia that caused civilian casualty. There was one incident that resulted in five armed-actor casualties, all of whom were killed. 

One 13 June, three armed-actors threw a grenade, which exploded in a police station in Dessi, Amhara, killing themselves and two police officers. 

Sources: Borkena, Daily News Egypt, Addis Standard

Casualties

In May 2022, there was one incident of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia which resulted in 19 civilian casualties, one of whom was killed and 18 injured. These civilian casualties included at least one child, who was killed. There were no recorded armed-actor casualties in Ethiopia in May. 

On 29 May 2022, one girl was killed and 18 more civilians were injured by alleged Eritrean shelling in Shiraro, in the Tigray region. Residential houses were damaged in the attack. 

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters

Casualties

In January 2022, there were five incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia which caused 294 civilian casualties (reportedly including at least two children and three men), 81 of whom were killed and 213 injured. There were no armed-actor casualties from explosive weapons recorded in Ethiopia in January 2022. 

Of the civilian casualties recorded in January 2022, 99% (292) occurred in populated areas and >1%% (2) in areas with an unknown population status. The majority of civilian casualties, 78% (230), occurred in encampments, while 13% (38) took place in urban residential areas, 8% (24) in schools and >1% (2) in unknown locations.

Air-launched weapons, specifically airstrikes, were the reported weapon type in all 294 civilian deaths and injuries. 

All recorded civilian casualties from explosive weapons in Ethiopia in January took place in the Tigray region. More specifically within this region, 62% (182) were recorded in Dedebit, 29% (86) in Mai Tsebri, 8% in an unreported area of the Tigray region, and >1% (2) in Hiwane.

State actors were the reported perpetrator in all 294 civilian deaths and injuries, with the Ethiopian state military specifically identified as the perpetrator of 22% (64) of civilian casualties. 

The highest casualty incident of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia last month occurred on 8 January 2022, when an airstrike hit a camp for internally displaced people in Dedebit, Tigray, killing at least 56 people and wounding at least 126 others. Women and children accounted for a significant portion of the casualties, though exact numbers were not reported. The perpetrator of the airstrike was also unreported. 

Sources: Insecurity Insight, Guardian

Casualties

In December 2021, there was one incident of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia, which resulted in eight civilian casualties. On 20 December 2021, four members of a family were killed and four injured when artillery shells fired by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) struck their home in Wuchale, Amhara. Children were among the casualties. The family’s home was severely damaged and their livestock perished in the strike.

Sources: FBC, ENA

Casualties

In October 2021, there were three incidents of explosive weapons use recorded in Ethiopia, all of which took place in Mekelle, Tigray, resulting in 44 civilian casualties (including six children). All three incidents were Ethiopian state airstrikes on populated areas, and there were no recorded armed-actor casualties. 

The incident with the highest number of casualties took place on 28 October 2021, when 10 civilians were killed (including three children), and 21 injured by an Ethiopian state airstrike on a residential area of Mekelle, Tigray. The government claimed the attack targeted a factory used by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. On 18 October 2021, three children were killed and ten people injured in two Ethiopian state airstrikes in Mekelle. 

Sources: Al Jazeera, AP, Reuters

There was one incident of explosive weapon use in Ethiopia in August 2021, resulting in the death of five civilians. On 19 August, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) shelled an urban residential area in Debre Tabor, Amhara, in north-central Ethiopia, killing five civilians, including three women. 

Source: Journal du Cameroun, Borkena

In June 2021, there were 244 recorded civilian casualties from explosive weapon use in Ethiopia this month and all of these were the result of one incident on 22 June, when an airstrike by the Ethiopian state airforce struck a market in Togoga, Tigray, killing 64 civilians and wounding at least 180 others. The airstrike took place around 1pm, when many families were in the market. Ambulances were reportedly blocked by Ethiopian soldiers from reaching the scene and/or returning to the hospital in Mekele, causing the death toll to rise. This is, by far, the most lethal and injurious incident of explosive weapon use recorded in Ethiopia in the last decade, and the first recorded state airstrike this year. Sources: Reuters, BBC, Guardian, AP.

On 16 May 2021, in Axum town, Tigray region, Ethiopian soldiers armed with grenades, machine guns, and sniper rifles raided the University Teaching and Referral Hospital. The soldiers questioned patients, intimidated caretakers and threatened health workers, contaminated the operating room, and stopped all surgical operations. Sources: Barron’s and CNN