Explosions heard in Ethiopia's capital after drone flights banned

Explosions were heard overnight in Ethiopia's capital, some in the area of the military headquarters in the west and another in the south of the city, residents and diplomatic sources say.

The blasts came hours after drone flights were banned over Addis Ababa and a week after fighting erupted in the north between the army and a newly launched alliance of armed groups including forces from the Tigray region.

A source linked to the opposition fighters told the Reuters news agency they were behind what they said were drone strikes.

"It was very loud. It was strong enough to set off car alarms," a resident in a southern area of the city, near the base of the secret service, told BBC Amharic.

He estimated that he heard the explosion in the Gotera neighbourhood some time around 00:30 local time (21:30 GMT).

Another resident told the BBC that he and his friends were playing games when they heard an explosion.

He lives in the western suburb of Torhayloch, a neighbourhood close to the military headquarters.

There were no official reports confirming the cause of the explosions, the exact locations affected or whether there were any casualties or damage.