By Yonas Mikael
Addis Ababa, October 2, 2026
Residents have told Mereja of further blasts overnight into Friday near the palace at 4 Kilo and near the Fana Broadcasting headquarters in Addis Ababa. Mereja has not confirmed those reports, and no official or wire account of new explosions at either site was found.
Those claims are separate from explosions that news agencies described overnight into Thursday in other parts of the capital. Agence France-Presse reported a blast at Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) headquarters in Tor Hayloch between midnight and 1:00 a.m. local time. BBC Amharic reported that a Gotera resident heard a loud blast between about 12:20 and 12:30 a.m. that set off car alarms. Another resident in Tor Hayloch told the BBC he heard an explosion while he was with friends near the military headquarters.
The Associated Press reported that an intelligence official, speaking without authorization, confirmed three blasts in three locations but gave no further detail. The Associated Press also reported a diplomatic source who heard a blast near the defense headquarters around 7 p.m., then a later blast past midnight. The agency said it was not clear whether the blasts were an attack or a training exercise. Reuters said witnesses saw no visible damage near the military base, and no casualty figure for the capital was given.
A source linked to an opposition alliance told Reuters the alliance had carried out drone strikes in Addis Ababa, a claim the agency could not verify. Spokespeople for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office, the federal government, and the ENDF did not respond to Reuters. The BBC said the prime minister’s office, the defense ministry, and federal and Addis Ababa police had not answered its questions.
On Wednesday, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) banned drone flights over Addis Ababa and nearby areas for an indefinite period, the BBC reported. The service said the ban was meant to protect national leaders, critical infrastructure, and major public events, and that it would not issue new drone permits.
On Thursday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would close Ethiopia’s embassy in Asmara and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata. Fana Media Corporation reported that the diplomats had 48 hours to leave and were accused of activities that pose a direct threat to national security. The ministry said the closure was a response to what it called Eritrea’s direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia. It said Ethiopia remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and to the ties between the two peoples.
Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told Reuters that the expulsions effectively closed Eritrea’s embassy in Addis Ababa. Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry then said it had no option but to sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, with all the negative corollaries that this entails. A statement dated October 1, carried by Dehai News, called the accusations astounding and said Ethiopia had pursued hostility over access to the sea. Al Jazeera reported that the ministry shared that statement on Thursday, and no later Eritrean government statement was found early Friday.
On Thursday, Ethiopia ordered Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman to leave within 48 hours, Radio Tamazuj reported, citing the Ethiopian News Agency. The same report said the notice cited the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and gave no public reason for the order. Ahram Online also named Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman as the Egyptian diplomat told to leave Addis Ababa within 48 hours. Egypt then ordered an Ethiopian embassy counsellor in Cairo to leave within 48 hours, Al Jazeera reported, citing Al Qahera News. An Egyptian Foreign Ministry source called Ethiopia’s move regrettable and unjustified, said Cairo acted on reciprocity, and rejected interference in other countries’ affairs, see.news reported. Searches made early Friday found no further official comment from Cairo after the counsellor expulsion and the source’s remarks.
The African Union Commission said on Thursday that it was following tensions among Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Egypt with concern. It called on the three governments to show maximum restraint and to handle their differences through diplomatic channels. Mereja found no published report that connected the unverified Friday blast claims with the expulsions of diplomats.
Sources:
- BBC News, “Explosions heard in Ethiopia’s capital after drone flights banned,” October 1, 2026.
- BBC Amharic, October 1, 2026.
- Reuters, “Explosions heard overnight in Ethiopia’s capital, diplomatic sources say,” October 1, 2026.
- Reuters copy via ThePrint, “Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa orders closure of embassy in Asmara,” October 1, 2026.
- Agence France-Presse via The Hindu, “Blasts in Ethiopian capital after government banned drone flights,” October 1, 2026.
- Associated Press via News4Jax, “Blasts reported in Ethiopian capital hours after government banned drone flights,” October 1, 2026.
- Al Jazeera, “Blasts heard in Addis Ababa as Ethiopia conflict widens in the north,” October 1, 2026.
- Al Jazeera, “Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia in tit-for-tat move,” October 1, 2026.
- Fana Media Corporation, “Ethiopia Decides to Close Embassy in Asmara, Declares 10 Eritrean Diplomats Persona Non Grata,” October 1, 2026.
- Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement via Dehai News, “Press Release: Ethiopia’s Deplorable Acts of Hostility,” October 1, 2026.
- Ahram Online, “In response to Ethiopia, Egypt gives Ethiopian embassy counsellor 48 hours to leave,” October 1, 2026.
- Radio Tamazuj, “Ethiopia expels Egyptian diplomat as regional tensions escalate,” October 1, 2026.
- see.news, “Cairo Gives Ethiopian Diplomat 48 Hours To Leave Egypt,” October 2, 2026.
- African Union Commission, “Statement of the AU Commission on the Escalating Tensions Between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt,” October 1, 2026.