A night explosion at the Ethiopian army headquarters in the capital, Addis Ababa

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An explosion occurred at night at the Ethiopian army headquarters in the capital, Addis Ababa, according to what a diplomatic source and a resident told Agence France-Presse on Thursday.

Violent clashes broke out on September 23 between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, raising fears of a renewal of the devastating civil war that took place in the north of the country between 2020 and 2022 and claimed the lives of about 600,000 people.

“Disturbing sounds were heard for a few minutes, followed by an explosion,” a resident in Addis Ababa said.

A foreign diplomatic source confirmed that the sound of the explosion was heard around midnight at the headquarters of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, but he was unable to confirm the nature of the explosion or the party responsible for it.

On Wednesday, the National Intelligence and Security Services banned the flying of drones in the vicinity of the capital.

AFP contacted a spokesman for the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, but he did not immediately respond.