Escalation: Ashenda Festival Canceled Due to Drone Strikes

The central Ashenda celebration in Mekelle, a mass gathering planned at the city stadium, was called off. Tigray’s culture and tourism chief, Dori Asgedom, said it would not go ahead because of “ongoing drone strikes and the threat of war.” The festival is a three‑day celebration of women and the Virgin Mary.

The decision followed a drone strike in Mekelle that injured at least 13 people and damaged homes. Hospital figures included children among the wounded, with several patients in serious condition. A second strike was reported later near Mekelle University, with no immediate casualty count.

Regional officials said two drone strikes near Dandera, about 15 km from Mekelle, on 18 August left one person dead and another injured. Tigray authorities had earlier said there were no injuries from a strike near Dandera that day, while a local priest said he saw one fighter killed and believed two were wounded. An earlier strike in Raya‑Alamata district on 10 August killed three people.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources