SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: February 12, 2026

Attack Types: Other

Institution(s):Mekele University

Region & Country:Eastern Africa | Ethiopia

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On February 12, 2026, unidentified individuals detonated homemade explosives outside Mekele University.

The explosion occurred around 9:30 pm on the university’s business campus, causing fear and confusion for those nearby. No injuries were reported.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violent and destructive attacks on campus. Students and members of the public must refrain from violence, especially on campus, and respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. State authorities should take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of scholars, students, and staff, including by investigating and holding perpetrators of such acts responsible, in line with international human rights standards. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, such actions undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.facebook.com/TigrayUpdate/posts/explosion-reported-thursday-night-in-mekelle-tigray-near-the-social-science-camp/1324379906375907/
https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/explosion-reported-in-mekelle-officials-say-no-casualtiesan-explosion-occurred-l/1330568042441762/