A volcano in Ethiopia’s north-eastern Afar region has erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, sending towering plumes of ash and smoke into the sky and drifting across the Red Sea towards Yemen and Oman.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano, situated about 500 miles north-east of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, erupted on Sunday for several hours. The eruption produced thick columns of smoke rising up to nine miles (14 kilometres) into the atmosphere, according to monitoring agencies.
Local officials confirmed that no casualties had been reported, but warned of significant economic consequences for communities living in the area. Mohammed Seid, a regional official, said the eruption had blanketed villages in ash, threatening the livelihoods of livestock herders. “While no human lives and livestock have been lost so far, many villages have been covered in ash and as a result their animals have little to eat,” he explained.
The volcano, which rises to about 500 metres in altitude, lies within the East African Rift Valley, a zone of intense geological activity where tectonic plates meet and earthquakes are common. The Afar region, already prone to seismic disturbances, has now witnessed an event unprecedented in recorded history.
Residents described the eruption as sudden and frightening. Ahmed Abdela, who lives nearby, recalled hearing a loud sound followed by what he described as a shock wave. “It felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown with smoke and ash,” he said. Videos shared on social media, though not immediately verified, appeared to show a thick column of white smoke rising dramatically from the volcano.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) reported that ash clouds from Hayli Gubbi drifted over Yemen, Oman, India and northern Pakistan, raising concerns about potential disruption to air travel and environmental impacts across the region.
The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program confirmed that Hayli Gubbi had no known eruptions during the Holocene epoch, which began around 12,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Simon Carn, a volcanologist and professor at Michigan Technological University, reinforced this assessment, stating on Bluesky that the volcano “has no record of Holocene eruptions”.
The eruption has drawn international scientific interest, given its rarity and the scale of its ash plume. Experts note that the East African Rift Valley is one of the most geologically active regions in the world, yet eruptions of this magnitude remain unusual. The event highlights the unpredictable nature of volcanic activity in areas where tectonic plates are gradually pulling apart.
For local communities, however, the immediate concern is the impact on daily life. The ash has already affected grazing lands, leaving livestock with little food. With herding central to the economy of the Afar region, residents fear prolonged hardship if conditions do not improve quickly.
Authorities are monitoring the situation closely, though the absence of casualties has provided some relief.
