Daily record · 3 Oct 2026
Ethiopia war, 3 Oct 2026: what happened
7 reports on 3 Oct 2026: 4 independently verified, 3 claimed by a party. 1 drone or air strikes, 26 changes of control, 11 people reported killed.
Changes of control
- Ethiopian National Defense Force took Semen Sub City
- Ethiopian National Defense Force took Qedamay Weyane Sub City
- Ethiopian National Defense Force took Adihaki Sub City
- Ethiopian National Defense Force took Hawelti Sub City
- Ethiopian National Defense Force took Ayder Sub City
- Ethiopian National Defense Force took Hadnet Sub City
- Ethiopian National Defense Force took Kuiha Sub City
- +19 · inferred from an advance
Drone and air strikes
- 3 Oct 20261
Drone strike · Adwa town, Central, Tigray
Drone strikes on the nights of 3 and 4 October hit several hotels in Adwa, killing several civilians according to residents, with one estimating up to nine dead.
All reports of the day
- 3 Oct 20267
Statement · Unknown place
Flight tracking shows an Invicta Air Il-76TD cargo aircraft (TL-ATB) flying from Al Reef Airbase in the UAE towards East Africa on 3 October, likely bound for Ethiopia.
Shelling · Unknown place
Large areas of Kafta Sheraro National Park in western Tigray near the Eritrean border have burned since 3 October, which the monitor assessed as probably linked to ongoing fighting and ENDF shelling.
Statement · Hawelti Sub City, Mekelle, Tigray
The TPLF said it withdrew from Mekelle to spare the city from bombardment and would continue its resistance from another location.
Drone strike · Adwa town, Central, Tigray
Drone strikes on the nights of 3 and 4 October hit several hotels in Adwa, killing several civilians according to residents, with one estimating up to nine dead.
Statement · Unknown place
Ethiopian official Abraham Belay said the Eritrean army crossed the border and fought directly in the war, with soldiers killed and weapons captured, and warned of a double response; Eritrea denied it.
Control change · Hawelti Sub City, Mekelle, Tigray
A journalist and residents told AFP that TPLF fighters and leaders were leaving Mekelle as federal forces approached; federal forces were not yet seen in the city.
Control change · Hawelti Sub City, Mekelle, Tigray
Tigray Peace Forces fighters followed by the Ethiopian military entered Mekelle and took its airport after the TPLF announced its withdrawal, as confirmed by a witness and a resident.