Celebrations usually fill the streets of Mekelle with music, bright traditional dresses, and dancing at this time of year. Right now, those streets are quiet. Officials in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region made the hard call to cancel the mass public gatherings for the Ashenda festival, a historic holiday honoring the Virgin Mary and celebrating women.
Why? Because the threat of sudden drone strikes made large crowds in a stadium an unacceptable target.
If you've been following the fragile peace in East Africa, you know the Pretoria agreement signed in late 2022 was supposed to end years of brutal conflict. People hoped the worst was over. But political friction has been mounting for months. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and federal authorities in Addis Ababa are locking horns again, and ordinary citizens are paying the price.
The Reality Behind the Cancelled Ashenda Festival
Ashenda isn't just any holiday. It's a vital cultural anchor for girls and young women across northern Ethiopia. For three days, participants wear distinct braided hairstyles, colorful embroidered garments, and gather outside to sing and dance freely—activities often restricted during ordinary days.
The centerpiece was supposed to be a massive stadium event in Mekelle. Thousands of young women looked forward to it. Instead, Dori Asgedom, head of Tigray's culture and tourism bureau, announced that the public gathering was completely off.
The decision came on the heels of a fresh wave of violence. A drone strike hit a residential neighborhood in Mekelle, injuring 13 civilians, including young children, and damaging homes. Regional officials also pointed to recent strikes near Dandera and the Raya-Alamata district that left multiple people dead.
When skies are watched by military drones, gathering tens of thousands of people in an open stadium becomes too dangerous.
Rising Tensions Threaten the 2022 Peace Deal
The cancellation highlights a much larger breakdown in regional stability. The peace accord that stopped the active fighting three years ago is fracturing. Tensions escalated sharply after the TPLF removed the interim administration set up under the peace framework and reinstated its pre-war council.
Both sides trade accusations. Federal troops and regional forces have quietly massed near state borders. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines has abruptly suspended flights to Tigray, citing vague operational issues and leaving travelers stranded as fears of a renewed war mount.
Regional authorities are now appealing to the international community. They want foreign diplomats to break their silence and pressure both sides before full-scale hostilities resume.
For the people living in Mekelle and the surrounding countryside, the immediate future looks uncertain. Cultural traditions meant to bring communities together are now casualties of a political stalemate that refuses to die down. People are packing bags, buying bus tickets out when they can find them, and hoping history doesn't repeat itself.
