Eyewitnesses tell DW a drone strike hit a primary school in Dera, South Gondar, as casualty claims conflict


A view over the rooftops of Debre Tabor, the capital of South Gondar zone, with hills in the background

Debre Tabor, capital of South Gondar zone, in a 2011 file photo. (Photo: Brian Dell via Wikimedia Commons, CC0) [file photo]

Several eyewitnesses told DW Amharic that a drone strike hit Sana Primary School in Dera woreda, South Gondar, on Tuesday, while casualty figures from the Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM) and accounts on X conflict.

Residents of Dera woreda told DW Amharic that the drone strike came at about 4 o'clock in the morning in the Ethiopian clock, which is 10 AM local time, and several eyewitnesses told DW that it was carried out on Sana Primary School, in Mereja's translation. Others told DW that the strike hit the surrounding area rather than the school itself. DW did not give a casualty figure.

The AFNM’s first statement on the strike, dated Tikimt 10, 2019 in the Ethiopian calendar (October 20, 2026), was issued by the public relations department of its Gondar Province Belay Zeleke 3rd Command. A summary posted on X by the account @neby_G said the strike came at about 10:00 AM local time while students were in class, leaving several students dead and others with injuries ranging from minor to severe. It said that at about 11:40 AM another drone strike destroyed the town administration office in Welesh town, in Andabet woreda. The first statement did not give a number of dead. A second AFNM statement, relayed on X on Tuesday afternoon, said more than 10 children were killed. The Amhara Capacity Building Institute (ACBI) also relayed an AFNM statement condemning the strike and calling for accountability.

The figures that followed on X do not agree. The ACBI, which describes itself as a body working on knowledge, leadership and institutional development, posted that the strike had killed "at least 27 children." Another account, @TeferiFe, wrote that the strike, "around 10:00 a.m. today," reportedly killed 27 students. A third, @dehnahun65780, gave a different account, saying 27 students were harmed and that seven of them "passed away immediately, while the rest remain in critical condition." Mereja could not verify any of these numbers, and no official figure has been released.

Some accounts that track security incidents were more cautious. Armistice Security Consult International, which describes itself as a security risk management agency, issued an "incident alert" for an "alleged airstrike" on Sana Primary School and rated it "HIGH (Level 3)." The account @AUC31 said the first report it had seen came from a single Telegram channel and called it "unverified, single-source." Red Sea Axis wrote that the extent of the damage "and any possible casualties remain unclear."

Photos shared by @ETHDefenders on Tuesday morning, and posted again later by other accounts, show a classroom with its roof torn away and walls marked by holes, and a second room with a damaged ceiling and stained walls. Mereja could not confirm that the photos show Sana school or that they were taken on Tuesday.

It is not the first report of a strike on the school. The Amhara Advocacy Group said in a September report that a drone strike on September 7 left the Sana Primary School building "completely destroyed." The AFNM statements did not say whether classes had resumed in the same building.

Ethio Segenet Media, which describes itself as "a US based Ethiopian news analysis media outlet," posted a video that it said shows mothers crying "my child, my child" as they searched for their children after an air strike near a primary school in Este, Andabet woreda. In the same post it wrote that it had heard that, at about the same hour, an air strike on Sana Primary School in Dera destroyed the school's classrooms. It also claimed that more strikes on areas of Gondar and Gojjam near Bahir Dar are expected before the 12th Tana Forum, which is to be held in Bahir Dar this weekend. Those claims could not be verified.

Fana reported on Tuesday that Bahir Dar is getting ready to host the Tana Forum, which it called Africa's security forum, and that the Amhara police are finalizing a security plan for it.

The Ethiopian National Defense Force, the Government Communication Service and the Amhara regional government have not commented publicly on the reported strike, and Mereja found no statement from any of them by Wednesday morning.

Several users addressed their posts to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, the United Nations and Human Rights Watch, among others. One of them, @LissanuTesfaye, wrote directly to U.S. Ambassador Ervin Massinga that "many students were killed and injured." In an interview published by The Reporter on Monday, the ambassador said that when innocent civilians are hurt, "acknowledgement, restitution, and redoubled efforts to prevent such tragedies in the future are all required." Another account, @1juxa, wrote that casualty figures were "unverified" and that "schools must never be targeted," calling for an independent investigation.

In a post on Tuesday morning, the ACBI said the toll "may rise as several other children remain severely injured."

Sources

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