Northern Ethiopia fighting and drone strikes push health system towards collapse

Renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia is worsening an already fragile humanitarian and health situation, according to the World Health Organization. The violence involves rebels from the northern Tigray region and the government in Addis Ababa, with drone strikes and civilian deaths reported in both Amhara and Tigray. The latest warnings come as the 2022 peace deal between the two sides has effectively broken down.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on Monday that the conflict had killed several civilians in recent days and was straining medical facilities. He said at least 15 people, several of them children, died in drone strikes on a camp for displaced civilians in Amhara on Friday. Tedros also said that in Rama, in neighbouring Tigray, several people were killed while seeking food.

He did not give an overall casualty toll or identify who carried out the attacks. Tedros warned that more people were likely to lose access to essential healthcare if the fighting continued. He said the violence was pushing Ethiopia's health system closer to collapse, with hospitals facing shortages of health workers, medicines and equipment.

Ambulance services were described as severely limited, while insecurity was obstructing the delivery of life-saving medical supplies to some areas. The WHO and other United Nations agencies are working to deliver additional supplies, he said. The latest escalation matters because it affects both civilian protection and access to basic medical care in a country already facing severe pressure on its health services.

Drone attacks on displacement sites raise the risk of further casualties among people who have already been forced from their homes. The disruption also threatens emergency care, maternal and child health services, and treatment for disease, all of which are especially vulnerable during conflict. The fighting is part of a renewed phase of violence after the November 2022 peace agreement, which had been intended to end the conflict between the federal government and Tigrayan forces.

The current unrest has revived fears of a wider confrontation in northern Ethiopia. It has also drawn attention to the humanitarian consequences of repeated attacks on civilians and the difficulty of keeping health services functioning in insecure areas. Tedros, who is from Tigray, said civilians should be protected and that health workers and medical supplies must be allowed to reach those in need.

What remains unclear is the full scale of the latest attacks, who was responsible for each strike, and whether the violence will spread further. The immediate focus is on whether aid agencies can maintain access and whether the health system can continue operating under worsening conditions.

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