“#Ethiopia’s Virgin Mary festival in Tigray cancelled over drone strike fears.” This is the first time I’ve heard of a festival (Ashenda, in Mekelle) being canceled because of #weaponry #drones. “There are concerns the conflict might reignite with the regional authorities blaming a recent series of deadly drone strikes on federal armed forces.” This #news is from Friday, and the festival was supposed to happen today, so they canceled it with two days’ warning. #politics
on 02026-08-23#Burkina-Faso was also buying #weaponry from #Egypt and #China last year. “Shortly after delivery, Burkina Faso appeared to begin using its Akinci UAVs in combat, with video published on 29 April purportedly showing Akinci and TB2 strikes against terrorist targets. The country has used UAVs extensively to combat Islamist fighters, but unfortunately dozens of civilians have also been killed in these strikes. (...) Last year, Burkina Faso surpassed Afghanistan as the country most impacted by terrorism, with nearly 2 000 deaths.” Other #Bayraktar customers listed include #Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Djibouti, Togo, #Nigeria, Mali, Rwanda and #Tunisia.
on 02025-06-17#Burkina-Faso bought #Bayraktar TB2 #drones from #Turkey in 02022, following sales to Togo, Djibouti, Libya, #Ethiopia, Morocco, #Tunisia, and Niger. #weaponry
on 02025-06-17