Mawlid celebrations cancelled in Tigray after drone attacks
While Muslims across Africa marked Mawlid this week, festivities in Ethiopia's Tigray region were cancelled following recent drone attacks, France 24's Africa programme reported.
Festivities called off over security concerns
Muslim communities in several African countries celebrated Mawlid this week, the occasion traditionally linked to the commemoration of the Prophet Muhammad's birth. However, in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, planned celebrations did not go ahead this year. The cancellation was reported on Monday, 25 August, by France 24's Africa-focused programme "Eye on Africa".
According to the broadcast, the reason for cancelling the festivities was a series of recent drone attacks in the region. The programme did not provide further details on the scale of the attacks, their exact timing, or who was responsible — it stated only that the security situation was serious enough to warrant calling off the planned celebrations.
Other stories in the same broadcast
The same France 24 programme also covered other developments from across the African continent. On Monday, the United States called for the United Nations to impose strengthened sanctions on the warring parties in Sudan, where an armed conflict has continued for an extended period.
Separately, in the Kenyan village of Cheporor, a recent discovery of gold was reported to have prompted thousands of amateur prospectors to rush to the area in hopes of profiting from the newly found deposits.
The broadcast ran for approximately 11 minutes and 34 seconds as part of France 24's regular African news roundup. No further information was given on the situation's development in Tigray or on any possible rescheduling of the cancelled celebrations.
