WHO chief blasts Ethiopia drone strikes as hospitals run short

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged greater protection for civilians in northern Ethiopia on Monday, days after deadly drone strikes hit the Amhara and Tigray regions. In a social media post, he said reports of attacks on civilians there were "deeply disturbing." Children were among the dead at a displacement camp in Amhara, including a newborn, according to Tedros. In a separate strike in the Tigray town of Rama, several people were reportedly killed while trying to reach food.

The strikes are the latest in a pattern, Tedros said, noting that "drone attacks and civilian casualties have tragically become frequent across Ethiopia." He warned the violence is pushing an already fragile health system closer to collapse. Hospitals are short on health workers, medicines and equipment, ambulance services are severely limited, and insecurity is blocking life-saving medical supplies from reaching some areas, he said. WHO and its partners, he added, are working around the clock to move more supplies into all affected regions.

Fighting between Ethiopian government forces and rebel groups resumed in September across Amhara, Tigray and Afar, nearly four years after a peace deal. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has flagged the risk of escalation and wider destabilization. In a statement issued Friday by his spokesperson, Guterres said he was appalled by recent attacks on civilians, including on health facilities, and called on the parties to spare civilians and critical infrastructure.

Guterres also pressed the warring sides to agree without delay to a cessation of hostilities as a first step toward ending the conflict, and renewed his appeal for them to engage in good faith with mediation efforts. Tedros warned that as the fighting continues, more people are likely to lose access to essential care, from emergency services to maternal and child health and treatment for diseases. His closing line: "The most courageous choose peace. The best medicine is peace."