Earlier this week, a drone strike in the North Shewa zone of Mojana Wedera district in a place known as Sasit led to the loss of a minimum of 30 lives and inflicted injuries on more than 10 individuals.
Sasit residents and an eyewitness, who communicated with Addis Standard on condition of anonymity, recounted a distressing narrative of the circumstances surrounding the drone attack occurred in Amhara region on
According to them, the strike was directed at an
One resident observed that the attack came following confrontations between the non-state militia, Fano, and the
A close relative of the victims provided a firsthand account, stating, "The attack occurred as more than 40 civilians were traveling in
According to his testimony, an infant, aged 80 days and baptized the previous day, was being cared for by his grandmother inside an
The family member told Addis Standard that the father of the newborn baby was at home during the drone attack. "Upon learning of the incident, he went missing, and we have been unable to locate him."
Another eyewitness provided their testimony to Addis Standard, noting, "Upon approaching the site of the drone strike, I encountered several deceased individuals and severely injured persons. Identification posed challenges due to the fragmented state of body limbs, hands, and other body parts scattered on the street."
The eyewitness testified, "I counted 15 deceased individuals, seven of whom were relatives, buried in a church named
A source from
The use of military drones in the ongoing conflict in the Amhara region has been reported on various occasions in the past. In December last year, heavy artillery shelling and drone strike in multiple districts in the region have resulted in the tragic loss of civilian lives and the destruction of vital infrastructures. Witnesses speaking to Addis Standard reported that the indiscriminate attacks caused widespread devastation to homes and infrastructure in the region.
In November, the UN said drone strikes by Ethiopian government forces including on a school and a bus station resulted in the deaths of at least 20 civilians, raising concerns about human rights abuses amidst ongoing clashes in Amhara.
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