A public television building in Tigray, northern Ethiopia whose rebel authorities claim to be in “total war” against the federal government, was hit today by a drone, according to journalists on the spot.
© Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images
27/09/2026
by
Lusa
O tigrai TV building in Mekele, capital of the region, was hit by a ‘drone’ about 09:00 (07:00 in Lisbon), indicated to AFP channel journalists, considered the official body of the dissident authorities of Tigray.
“ We heard a strong explosion caused by a ‘drone’ attack elsewhere and left the building. Soon after we left, the Tigrai TV building was hit and damaged,” one of the journalists reported.
The channel, which employs more than 400 journalists, interrupted broadcasts during a live broadcast. So far, no record of any injuries.
Photographs taken by an AFP correspondent show the facade of the damaged building, with windows shattered by the explosion.
The Ethiopian federal authorities had announced last Monday the “indeterminate” suspension of Tigray TV and prohibited all media from reproducing their information.
The channel, active on social network X, has not yet commented on the attack.
Tigray's rebel authorities, allied with other armed groups, launched on Wednesday an offensive in northern Ethiopia against the federal armed forces, resurrecting the possibility of a new war on a large scale.
Between 2020 and 2022, the Tigray conflict caused at least 600,000 deaths in that region, according to an estimate of the African Union considered low by many experts.
With communications cut to a large extent, it is difficult to determine the evolution of combat.