The Ashenda festival, a significant cultural and religious event in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, has been cancelled in the city of Mekelle due to the looming threat of drone strikes. Regional officials confirmed the decision to scrap the Saturday stadium gathering, citing a series of recent aerial attacks that have left civilians dead and injured.
Tigray’s communications affairs bureau reported that a Thursday strike in Mekelle wounded 13 people, following earlier strikes in August that resulted in multiple fatalities in the Raya-Alamata and Dandera areas. Regional authorities have blamed these strikes on federal armed forces, though the government has remained silent on the accusations.
The cancellation underscores the volatile reality in a region still reeling from a brutal two-year civil war that officially concluded in 2022. While a peace deal was signed between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the agreement is currently under immense strain.
Tensions have spiked recently after the TPLF moved to reinstate its pre-war council, effectively dismantling the interim administration established by the peace accord.
With both sides accusing the other of violating the terms of the 2022 agreement, the specter of renewed conflict has forced the suspension of public life in Mekelle, leaving thousands of young women unable to participate in the traditional celebration of the Virgin Mary.
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