Seismic upheaval in the Awash Fentale area has uprooted thousands from their homes. It has also raised questions about the long-term safety of critical infrastructure.

Ethiopia's Afar and Oromia regions have been hit by several earthquakes and tremors since the beginning of 2025. The strongest, with a magnitude of 5.7, struck on 4 January. The US Geological Survey and the German Research Centre for Geosciences reported that its epicenter was 142km east of the capital,

"Some residents in Awash and Dulecha districts are reluctant to evacuate, particularly pastoralist communities concerned about their livestock and property," reads the note from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in reference to a series of seismic activities that have occurred since last week in parts of Afar and Oromia.