Addis Abeba- More than 100 people were reportedly killed in Gedeb, a rural area in the Enarj Enawga district of Amhara area on Thursday, April 17, according to residents and witnesses who spoke to the BBC.
Locals said the drone strike had hit an area near Gedeb Elementary School. There, large groups gathered for what was called “development work,” including building school fences. Witnesses said that the people present are “peaceful people” who are engaged in community work.
An eyewitness who was nearby at the time of the strike told the BBC “we didn’t know what was going on,” explaining the scene of “screams, fuss, panic.”
The resident added that when he and others approached the site, they “we could not distinguish between the individual people.” He continued, “Everything has turned black. There was no recognizable human form in the entire area. Some of the fallen people were screaming, some were lying on the ground. What happened is horrifying.
Another resident injured in his right hand while working at the school fence said there was a “severe explosion” and “many people were injured.”
Other witnesses said more than 24 injured individuals were taken to GEDEB Primary Hospital for treatment, but most died after arriving at the facility.
The resident who said he used a Bajaj (three-wheeled vehicle) to transport the bodies said “115-120 bodies were buried,” adding “it may not have been further calculated due to the situation of panic.”
Another witness said he was present until 57 bodies were collected, with the total number of deaths estimated to exceed 100.
According to multiple accounts, it was difficult to identify the victim due to the severity of the injury. Residents said the bodies had been buried in the mass graves of Gedeb St. Giorgis Church by noon.
“When they were told to quickly bury vultures to prevent them from eating, the community quickly buried them in graves of about five people,” one resident said.
After the attack, one resident said government forces entered the area and made additional attacks, with some residents fleeing the town from fear.
“I’ve been scared recently. The entire population is terrified,” one resident added that people have observed Easter holidays under stress, fearing another attack. “There were no real holiday celebrations. The area is in deep mourning. It didn’t feel like a holiday. Usually the kids who come from the city didn’t come.”
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However, Mulu Gete, the manager of the Enarj Enawga district, told the BBC that the drone strike targeted the “extremist” Fano extremists and claimed that civilians had been killed by “enemy propaganda.” He further argued, “There are large troop gatherings in the area… The story of the construction of school fences and the house buildings is just a cover-up.”
Reports of drone strikes and civilian casualties in the town of Gedeb claim that the Ethiopian Defence Force (ENDF) announced a recent military operation across the Amhara region, killing more than 300 Fanofighters “in a day in a gorgeous jar.”
The war-torn Amhara region has seen multiple incidents of drone strikes that have led to civilian casualties since the conflict began in April 2023.
In mid-February, Addis Standard reported that a drone strike in the Ambassel area of the South Wolo Zone killed four people, including three children. Residents also reported that several homes had been destroyed.
A week ago, three civilians, including a pregnant woman and her six-year-old daughter, were killed a week ago in an independent drone strike at Zenbo Kebele in the Ephratagidem district of North Shewazone.
