Tigray & Security: Unconfirmed reports and media outlets state that drone strikes hit two locations in Mekelle, with Ayder Hospital reportedly receiving 13 casualties. Tigray regional authorities have called for urgent diplomatic intervention amid escalating tensions. Meanwhile, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo made an unannounced visit to Tigray. Elsewhere, a Fano leader claimed that several armed groups have formed a coalition targeting the current government.
Regional Security & International Missions: Two Ethiopian UN peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in South Sudan. In Somalia, the federal government defended a recent Turkish drone strike off the Puntland coast, while UN staff layoffs and asset auctions indicate a drawdown of security operations in the country. In Sudan-related developments, Sudan's UN envoy alleged that logistics routes for the RSF militia pass through Eastern Libya, Chad, and Ethiopia.
Economy & Diaspora: The Ethiopian Birr has reached a record low against foreign currencies despite substantial official efforts to support it. In investment news, UAE-linked Zijin Gold acquired a stake in a gold mine near the Sudan border. On the diaspora front, Ethiopian asylum seekers in the US expressed concern over Temporary Protected Status developments, while Ethiopia successfully repatriated nearly 2,500 citizens from Saudi Arabia.
