The annual Ashenda festival, a major celebration of women and the Virgin Mary in northern Ethiopia, was officially cancelled in Mekelle, the main city of the Tigray region, after authorities warned that the event could become a target for drone attacks.
Traditionally, the festival draws thousands of young women who dress in white, braid their hair in a special style, and dance freely outside, an activity that is usually restricted at other times of the year. The closing ceremony was planned for a stadium in Mekelle on Saturday.
Tigray is still emerging from a brutal two‑year civil war that ended in 2022. Recent incidents of drone strikes – one on Thursday that wounded 13 civilians, another near Dandera that caused a fatality and injury, and a prior strike in Raya‑Alamata that killed three – have revived fears that the conflict could reignite.
Dori Asgedom, head of the Tigray culture and tourism bureau, announced the cancellation, citing the ongoing drone strikes and the “threat of war.” He warned that the attack is a crime history will not forgive and must be condemned.
Regional authorities have called on the international community to break their silence, condemn the attacks and take urgent diplomatic action to prevent further escalation. Both sides blame each other for failing to uphold the peace deal signed in 2022, which ended the fighting but left deep tensions.
