Blasts in Ethiopian capital after government banned drone flights

An explosion rocked the Ethiopian army’s headquarters overnight in the capital, Addis Ababa, sources told AFP on Thursday (October 1, 2026), while pro-government forces said they had pushed back rebel troops in the north.

Heavy fighting broke out on September 23 between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020-2022 civil war that killed an estimated 600,000 people.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is due to be sworn in for a new term on Monday (October 5, 2026) after winning elections in June, but faces conflict on multiple fronts as several armed groups have formed an alliance against him.

The explosion at the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) headquarters in the Tor Hayloch area of Addis Ababa happened between midnight and 1:00a.m. local time, diplomatic and security sources said.

They could not say the nature of the blast or who was responsible, nor any casualty figures. If confirmed as a rebel attack, it would mark the first time the city has been targeted in recent years.

“The explosion took place at the HQ and was powerful. It shook the surrounding area and triggered significant panic among people in the vicinity,” a worker at a nearby bar told AFP, relaying information from colleagues working at the time.

“There were a few minutes of disturbing sounds followed by an explosion,” a local resident added.

Neither the Prime Minister’s office nor the army spokesperson responded to requests for comment.

On Wednesday, the National Intelligence and Security Services ordered a ban on all drone flights around the capital.

Conflict monitor ACLED said drones suspected to be linked to the anti-government alliance targeted army and civilian airports in Oromia and Amhara states on Sunday.

Clashes ongoing

Hundreds have been killed and wounded since heavy fighting resumed in northern Ethiopia last week, and clashes were ongoing along several fronts.

The TPLF launched attacks into neighbouring Afar and Amhara states, fighting alongside local militias, but there were signs that it was being pushed back on Thursday.

A humanitarian source told AFP the TPLF had been dislodged from the town of Erebti in Afar, which it had seized earlier this week, and was now fighting near the mountainous border between Afar and Tigray.

A pro-government militia posted on X that they had retaken Erebti, as well as Maychew town in southern Tigray.

Locals interviewed by AFP earlier this week said Maychew had endured heavy shelling.

Verification is difficult as media are prevented from travelling to affected areas and there are significant communications disruptions.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had already registered more than 420 wounded at Korem and Alamata hospitals in Tigray by September 25, and more than 300 at Shire in western Tigray, while the humanitarian source estimated that tens of thousands have fled their homes in Afar.