Tragedy in Ethiopia: A Drone Strike on a Monastery Resulted in Casualties

A major tragedy has occurred in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia: eight people were killed when a drone struck an Orthodox monastery. Among the victims of the attack, which took place on July 22 during a festive service, were two nuns and six clergy members; several other parishioners were seriously injured, according to Christian Today.

According to the human rights organization International Christian Concern, government forces conducting an operation against the “Fano” group may be responsible for the incident. For their part, Ethiopian authorities attribute the strike to the possible presence of rebels on the grounds of the religious site.

Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, strongly condemned the incident, calling the attack on worshippers “absolutely unacceptable.” He emphasized that religious institutions and civilians should not be targets of military action and called on the international community to conduct a transparent investigation into the incident. Local clergy note that the incident has dealt a severe psychological blow to the faithful.

The armed conflict in the Amhara region, sparked by a standoff between the authorities and the “Fano” ethnic group, has been ongoing since 2018. The situation is complicated by regular attacks on civilian communities and religious sites, which are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the country.