When the Sky Becomes a Battlefield: Civilian Protection and the Escalating Use of Airstrikes in Tigray
The renewed fighting in Tigray has brought a familiar and devastating violence back to Tigray: the use of aerial military and heavy weapons in populated areas. For civilians already living with the consequences of years of genocidal war, displacement and humanitarian deprivation, the escalation represents not simply a military development but a profound threat to life, health, education and basic human security. A residential compound in Mekelle One of the clearest documented incidents occurred on 20 August 2026, when an apparent Ethiopian government airstrike struck a residential compound in the Daero neighborhood of Mekelle. According to Human Rights Watch , the attack wounded 13 civilians, including seven children. Human Rights Watch examined photographs, videos and satellite imagery of the site and interviewed survivors, residents and medical workers. The organization reported that there was no evident military target at the residential compound and called for the incident to...
