A collapsed wall in a residential house following the August 20, 2026 airstrike on a residential compound in Daero neighborhood, Mekelle, Tigray region, Ethiopia. The image was taken the same day by a Mekelle resident.
(Nairobi) – An apparent Ethiopian government airstrike on a residential compound in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on August 20, 2026, should be investigated as a possible war crime, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack wounded 13 civilians, including seven children.
The airstrike hit the Daero neighborhood of Mekelle, Tigray’s regional capital, which had no evident military targets, making the strike unlawfully indiscriminate. Ethiopian authorities should impartially and transparently investigate the attack, prosecute those responsible for any wrongdoing, and adequately compensate the victims.
“The resumption of hostilities in northern Ethiopia heightens concerns about unlawful attacks and the grave threat posed to civilians,” said Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “To prevent further harm to civilians, the Ethiopian military needs to abide by the laws of war and ensure that they take all feasible precautions before carrying out any attack.”
Between August 21 and September 6, Human Rights Watch interviewed three survivors of the Daero attack, two medical workers, and two residents who visited the site. Human Rights Watch also analyzed satellite imagery and verified photographs and videos depicting the attack site and remnants of an air-dropped munition. Additional photographs and descriptions of blast and fragmentation injuries were consistent with the detonation of an air-dropped general-purpose bomb. Human Rights Watch contacted and wrote to the army’s spokesperson with key questions but at publication had received no response.
On the same day as the attack on the compound, a second airstrike hit Q
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