Drone strikes in Ethiopia’s Tigray kill one amid fears of renewed conflict

The attack comes amid fears of a return to conflict following clashes between government troops and Tigrayan forces.Published On 31 Jan 2026One person has been killed and another injured in drone strikes in Ethiopia’s ‍northern Tigray ‍region, a senior Tigrayan official and a humanitarian worker said, in another sign of renewed conflict between regional and federal forces.The Tigrayan official on Saturday said the drone strikes hit two Isuzu trucks near Enticho and Gendebta, two places in Tigray about 20km (12 miles) apart.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Clashes between government troops and Tigrayan forces erupt in Ethiopialist 2 of 4‘Waiting to die’: Hunger, devastation in Tigray a year after US aid cutslist 3 of 4Tigray fighters enter Ethiopia’s Afar region, stoking fears of new conflictlist 4 of 4Is war between Ethiopia & Eritrea inevitable?: Mehdi Hasan & Getachew Redaend of listThe official said the Ethiopian National Defence Force launched the strikes, but ​did not provide evidence.A local humanitarian worker confirmed the strikes had happened. Both asked not to be named, the Reuters news agency reported.It was not immediately clear what the trucks were carrying.TPLF-affiliated news outlet Dimtsi Weyane posted pictures on Facebook that ‌it said showed the trucks damaged in the strikes. It said the trucks were transporting food ‌and cooking items.Pro-government activists posting on ⁠social media said the trucks were carrying weapons.Ethiopia’s national army fought fighters from the Tigray People’s ⁠Liberation Front (TPLF) for two years until late 2022, in a war ​researchers say killed hundreds of thousands through direct violence, the ‍collapse of healthcare and famine.Fighting broke out between regional and national forces in Tsemlet in the disputed territory of western Tigray earlier this week, an area claimed by forces from the neighbouring Amhara region.Tension has been brewing over the presence of troops from Amhara and the neighbouring country of Eritrea in Tigray, violating a peace deal in November 2022 that ended the war.