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A drone strike by the Ethiopian military has hit a school in the northern Tigray region, damaging the building and causing casualties, multiple sources told BBC Tigrinya. <\/b><\/p>\n
Tigrayan military sources said three of their fighters died instantly and seven were taken to hospital in the attack on Merewa Secondary School, which was on a holiday break, in Raya Alamata district.<\/p>\n
But district governor Daniel Tamrat said one civilian was killed and four others wounded, adding that a nearby river, where people fetched water, was also hit. The Ethiopian army has not responded to a BBC request for comment.<\/p>\n
Tigray’s political crisis has worsened this year, raising fears a full-scale conflict could resume. <\/p>\n
This comes after the region’s main party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), removed the interim administration set up under the Pretoria Agreement – a peace accord signed by them and the Ethiopian government in 2022 – and reinstated its pre-war council.<\/p>\n
Both sides accuse each other of failing to implement the peace deal that ended the 2020\u20132022 war.<\/p>\n
Eritrea – which was heavily involved in the war and fought with the Ethiopian military – has been accused of changing its allegiance to Tigray.<\/p>\n
Last month, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told parliament that the TPLF was preparing for war in collaboration with Eritrea, an allegation Eritrea denies.<\/p>\n
Monday’s attack is claimed to have involved Turkish drones carrying 12 bombs, a source told the BBC, as they confirmed that Tigrayan forces were stationed at the secondary school. “It is winter and so there is no school now.”<\/p>\n
The strike reportedly caused panic in Merewa, 50 km (31 miles) west of Alamata town. <\/p>\n
Local officials alleged that heavy weapons attacks have repeatedly struck the plain area, especially near Waja at the Tigray-Amhara regional border.<\/p>\n