Ethiopia attacks kill civilians as health system nears collapse, WHO chief says

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Attacks in northern Ethiopia that reportedly killed children, including a newborn, are pushing the region’s fragile health system closer to collapse, the World Health Organization’s chief said Monday.

Renewed fighting has effectively shattered a November 2022 peace agreement between the federal government and rebel forces in the Tigray region, stoking fears of a wider conflict.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a statement posted on X, said children were among those reportedly killed at the Jaari 2 displacement camp in Amhara. In Rama, in neighboring Tigray, several people were reportedly killed while trying to get food.

Tedros gave no casualty totals or dates for either attack and did not identify the perpetrators. He referred more broadly to drone attacks and civilian casualties becoming frequent across Ethiopia.

No government response or public statement addressing the reported attacks was immediately available.

Hospitals in the north lack health workers, medicines and equipment, while ambulance services are severely limited and insecurity is obstructing medical deliveries, Tedros said. WHO and other United Nations agencies were working to deliver additional supplies.

“Civilians must be protected. Health workers and humanitarian supplies must be allowed to reach those in need,” he said.

Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, served as Ethiopia’s foreign minister and health minister when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front dominated the country’s ruling coalition.

His criticism has drawn accusations of political bias from Ethiopian authorities. In January 2022, the government accused him of using his office to advance political interests. Tedros acknowledged his ties to the region but said he was speaking without bias.

The government also faces armed opposition in the regions of Amhara and Oromia. Fano, a loose network of ethnic Amhara militias, has battled federal forces in Amhara since 2023.

In separate attacks in Oromia, Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church said at least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed. U.S. Ambassador Ervin J. Massinga on Saturday condemned reported targeted killings in the region’s Arsi zone and called for an investigation.

“Such horrific attacks against any group must stop,” he said in a statement posted by the U.S. Embassy on social media.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, meanwhile, said on social media that government leaders were undergoing military training at Hurso in the east of the country. He said the training strengthened discipline, leadership and readiness.

Photos posted on social media showed Abiy with participants in khaki outfits. Other images showed group exercises and pushups.

The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, a coalition of seven opposition groups, said in a video statement that it had approved plans to strengthen cooperation among its members, coordinate domestic and diaspora campaigns, and expand diplomatic engagement.

It accused the ruling Prosperity Party of fueling conflict, displacement and poverty, and called for an inclusive political transition.

The alliance formed in September with the stated aim of removing Abiy’s government. Its seven members are the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Oromo Liberation Army, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.

Amir Aman Kiyaro contributed to this report from Hamburg, Germany.

In this photo released by Ethiopia Prime Minister's Office, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed participates in military training exercises alongside government officials at the Hurso Military Training Centre in Ethiopia, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Ethiopia Prime Minister's Office via AP)

In this photo released by Ethiopia Prime Minister's Office, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed participates in military training exercises alongside government officials at the Hurso Military Training Centre in Ethiopia, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Ethiopia Prime Minister's Office via AP)

In this photo released by Ethiopia Prime Minister's Office, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, not pictured, participates in military training exercises alongside government officials at the Hurso Military Training Centre in Ethiopia, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Ethiopia Prime Minister's Office via AP)

FILE - Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks to the media in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 16, 2026. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP, File)

U.S. futures are rebounding from a major market sell-off Friday with a boost from sharply declining oil prices on hopes for progress in diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran.

Futures for the S&P 500 advanced 0.5% Monday, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6%. Nasdaq futures rose 0.8%.

U.S. stocks fell Friday in their worst day since June as investors dumped artificial intelligence and tech stocks. There is growing concern that the massive investments in AI will not pay off, at least not fast enough.

Apple will report its latest earnings results after the bell Monday along with Palantir Technologies. Advanced Micro Devices will report its quarterly results on Tuesday.

Last week, earnings reports from Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Amazon rattled markets and raised fresh questions over whether their massive AI-related spending.

Shares of both Marvell and Lumentum are falling after the announcement of an all-stock deal for Lumentum worth about $115 billion, including debt. Marvell, despite the aggressive pullback in AI stocks last week, believes the investment is still warranted.

Markets appear less certain. Marvell slid more than 1% before the opening bell and Lumentum fell almost 3%.

Oil prices dropped Monday, with Brent crude, the international standard, down 4.2% to $108.68 per barrel. Still, that’s much higher than the roughly $65 that a barrel of crude was selling for at this time last year.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 4.2%, to $99.74 a barrel, compared with $61 per barrel at this time last February.

Iran’s top diplomat said in an interview shared on his Telegram channel over the weekend that Iranian negotiators were in Qatar for talks on a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the U.S. meets several conditions. However, he said no direct talks were being held with the U.S.

The final outcome of the diplomatic efforts to avoid a return to all-out war depends on answers provided by the United States to the “Iranian questions,” he said.

Wall Street is also waiting for the outcome of Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections. Voters across the political spectrum have shown increasing concerns about AI and data centers, along with inflation and other key issues.

There is critical U.S. economic data arriving Friday when the government issues its October jobs report. In September, U.S. employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2%.

In equities trading, shares of both Marvell and Lumentum are falling after an all-stock deal for Lumentum worth about $115 billion, including debt. Marvell, despite an aggressive pullback in AI stocks last week, believes the investment environment is still active.

Markets appear less certain. Marvell slid more than 1% before the opening bell and Lumentum fell almost 3%.

In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.1% to 10,736.14 on Monday. Germany's DAX climbed 0.1% to 25,847.97, while the CAC 40 in Paris added 0.2% to 7,988.21. Asian markets were mostly higher.

The U.S. dollar rose to 157.91 Japanese yen from 157.49 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1211, up from $1.1160.

FILE - Trader Michael Capolino, left, and Specialist Thomas McArdle work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei and New York Dow indexes at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)