In 60 seconds: Explosions were heard overnight in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, three diplomatic sources told Reuters — and a rebel alliance claims it carried out drone strikes on the city, including on the military’s headquarters. If confirmed, it would be the first known drone attack by anti-government forces on the capital. Hours later, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara. This is a developing story — updates to follow.
- Overnight blasts in Addis Ababa were confirmed by three diplomatic sources speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity; witnesses reported no visible damage near the military base.
- A source linked to the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival said the alliance carried out several drone strikes in the capital, including targets at the military’s headquarters. Reuters could not independently verify the claim.
- If confirmed, this would be the first known drone attack by anti-government forces on Addis Ababa — hundreds of kilometers from the front lines in Tigray, Amhara and Afar.
- Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours and closed its embassy in Asmara, accusing Eritrea of “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence.” Eritrea denies supporting the opposition.
- The clashes are the biggest escalation since the 2020–2022 civil war, which killed hundreds of thousands. Ethiopia’s intelligence service had already banned all drone flights over the capital on Wednesday.
What happened
Residents of Addis Ababa woke Thursday to reports that the country’s renewed war had come to the capital. Three diplomatic sources told Reuters that explosions were heard overnight in the city — hours after Ethiopia’s national intelligence service had banned all drone flights over Addis Ababa and its surroundings indefinitely, citing security reasons. A source linked to the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, the opposition coalition fighting federal forces in the north, said the alliance had carried out several drone strikes in the capital, including some targeting the military’s headquarters.
The claim comes with a major caveat: Reuters could not independently verify it, and spokespeople for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office, the federal government, the Ethiopian National Defence Force and the TPLF did not respond to requests for comment. But even the confirmed part — blasts heard in the capital, corroborated by three diplomatic sources — marks a dramatic escalation in a conflict burning in the north for weeks.
Latest verified facts
Who’s fighting. The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival unites seven armed groups — including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and forces from the Amhara, Afar, Somali and Benishangul-Gumuz regions — with the stated goal of removing Abiy Ahmed’s government. Fighting with federal troops began last week, and pro-government forces claim fresh gains in Tigray and Afar.
The drone question. Opposition forces were not previously known to operate armed drones, but evidence of new capability is growing. On Tuesday, the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces militia said it had captured drone frames and batteries from TPLF-linked forces — a claim Reuters also could not verify. The timing of the intelligence service’s drone-flight ban, imposed Wednesday, now looks like it was responding to a real threat picture.
The Eritrea rupture. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that it was closing its embassy in Asmara and declaring 10 Eritrean diplomats in Addis Ababa persona non grata, giving them 48 hours to leave, over activities posing “a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security.” Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting the opposition alliance — all three deny it. The break is striking: Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal government in the last civil war.
Why it matters
Ethiopia is Africa’s second-most-populous country and the seat of the African Union. The 2020–2022 civil war killed hundreds of thousands and nearly tore the country apart; last week’s fighting was already the biggest escalation since that war ended. Blasts in the capital — whether from rebel drones or something else entirely — signal that this round could be worse, because it shows the opposition can reach the government’s doorstep, hundreds of kilometers from the front lines.
The Eritrea expulsion matters just as much. Asmara was Abiy’s ally in the last war; turning it into an accused enemy redraws the region’s map and raises the specter of a multi-front conflict. And the unverified drone claim, if true, would be a tactical milestone: no rebel force in the Horn of Africa has ever struck a capital with drones before. Everyone’s capabilities just got re-rated.
Impact on the USA and the world
For the United States, Ethiopia is a linchpin partner in the Horn of Africa — a counterterrorism ally, a hub for diplomacy, and home to a large diaspora community in cities like Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis. A full-scale return to civil war would send refugees across borders into Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti, destabilize Red Sea shipping lanes that already face Houthi attacks, and hand rival powers — from Gulf states to China and Russia — an opening to pick sides. The African Union’s headquarters sit in Addis Ababa; a capital under bombardment would paralyze the continent’s premier institution. For Americans, the warning signs to watch are a State Department travel advisory and any move to draw down the embassy — steps that would confirm Washington thinks the capital itself is no longer safe.
What happens next
The first question is forensic: were the blasts drone strikes, and if so, whose? Satellite imagery, crater analysis, or debris will settle what officials haven’t. The second is whether the Eritrea rupture escalates — 48 hours for the diplomats to leave, and Asmara’s response is still pending. The third is the front lines: pro-government forces say they’re advancing in Tigray and Afar, but independent verification is thin. If the alliance can strike the capital while holding the north, Ethiopia’s government is fighting a war it hasn’t fought before — and the 2020–2022 playbook may not apply.