By Yonas Mikael
Addis Ababa, October 2, 2026
Residents told Mereja they heard 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. No official or wire account reported new explosions at either site.
Those claims differ from explosions that news agencies reported overnight into Thursday in other parts of the capital. Agence France-Presse reported a blast at Ethiopian National Defense Force 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. The blast set off car alarms. Another resident in Tor Hayloch told the BBC he heard an explosion while he stood with friends near the military headquarters.
The Associated Press reported that an intelligence official, speaking without authorization, confirmed three blasts in three locations. The official gave no further detail. The agency also reported a diplomatic source who heard a blast near the defense headquarters around 7 p.m. and a later blast past midnight. The agency said it remained unclear whether the blasts were an attack or a training exercise. Reuters said witnesses saw no visible damage near the military base. No casualty figure was given for the capital.
A source linked to an opposition alliance told Reuters the alliance carried out drone strikes in Addis Ababa. Reuters could not verify the claim. 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 banned drone flights over Addis Ababa and nearby areas for an indefinite period, the BBC reported. The service said the ban protects national leaders, critical infrastructure and major public events. It said it would not issue new drone permits.
On Thursday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would close Ethiopia’s embassy in Asmara. It declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata. Fana Media Corporation reported that the diplomats had 48 hours to leave. The ministry accused them of activities that pose a direct threat to national security. It said the closure responds to what it called Eritrea’s direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia. It said Ethiopia remains committed to a peaceful resolution of disputes and to the ties between the two peoples.
Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told Reuters the expulsions effectively closed Eritrea’s embassy in Addis Ababa. Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry 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. It said Ethiopia pursued hostility over access to the sea. Al Jazeera reported that the ministry shared the statement on Thursday. No later Eritrean government statement appeared 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 report said the notice cited the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It gave no public reason. Ahram Online also named Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman as the diplomat told to leave. Egypt then ordered an Ethiopian embassy counsellor in Cairo to leave within 48 hours, Al Jazeera reported, citing Al Qahera News. A source at Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called Ethiopia’s move regrettable and unjustified. The source said Cairo acted on reciprocity and rejected interference in other countries’ affairs, see.news reported. Searches early Friday found no further official comment from Cairo.
The African Union Commission said on Thursday it follows tensions among Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt with concern. It called on the three governments to show maximum restraint and handle their differences through diplomatic channels. Mereja found no published report that linked the unverified Friday blast claims to the diplomat expulsions.
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.