Repeated reported drone strikes hit the Hayiq Jari 2 camp in Ethiopia's Amhara region on 29 October 2026, killing civilians and prompting survivors to leave, according to Addis Standard reporting republished by The Eastleigh Voice; responsibility for the attack has not been established.
Early reports ranged from at least 14 deaths cited by Europa Press to 15 reported by Reuters and 16 reported by Anadolu, while later and other accounts diverged further; the toll has not been independently established.
Reports describe successive strikes
Residents told Addis Standard, in its report carried by The Eastleigh Voice, that the camp was struck repeatedly while families were inside their shelters, with one witness describing at least five strikes separated by roughly 15 minutes and fires in more than 20 shelters.
Anadolu placed the camp near Hayiq and said it housed more than 1,800 displaced people, many originally from Oromia, while Reuters reported more than 1,700 residents; these estimates indicate the camp's approximate size, not a verified occupancy count at the moment of the attack.
Anadolu reported children among the dead and 22 people injured, with wounded residents taken to Hayiq Hospital and more serious cases referred to Dessie; the report attributed those details to residents and local reporting rather than a released hospital casualty register.
Death tolls remain unreconciled
Europa Press attributed its figure of at least 14 to conflict monitor Frontlines Ethiopia, but the Frontlines event page reviewed displays 12; these different published figures cannot be reconciled from the material available and should not be presented as a single confirmed total.
An Addis Standard follow-up published by The Eastleigh Voice on 3 November reported a survivor's updated toll of 18, while African Press Agency quoted relatives giving 24; APA's own introductory wording said at least 20, adding another discrepancy within the published coverage.
An EEPA situation report carried by IDN listed 16 deaths at Hayiq Jari separately from 16 in a reported attack on a grain truck in Rama, Tigray; those are different incidents, and the figures cannot be combined into a death toll for the camp.
Families leave and responsibility remains unclear
Survivors told Addis Standard in the follow-up that families were leaving without an organised relocation plan and seeking shelter among nearby communities, while the report described support services closing and uncertainty over where displaced residents could safely go.
Reuters reported that a spokesperson for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had not immediately answered a request for comment and a local official was arranging treatment; its sources said no fighting was underway nearby when the camp was hit, but did not identify the attacker.
Anadolu placed the incident within fighting between federal forces and Fano militias in Amhara since 2023, including drone operations affecting civilians; that broader conflict context does not establish which party carried out the strikes on this camp.
The EEPA account expressly said the group responsible was unconfirmed, and the cited Reuters report supplied no claim of responsibility or Fano response; neither a perpetrator, motive nor a reconciled casualty total can be established from these accounts.