Northern Ethiopia’s long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano, situated in the remote Afdera district of the Afar Region, dramatically ended more than 10,000 years of inactivity with a powerful eruption that began last week and finally began subsiding on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. The sudden awakening released massive plumes of volcanic ash that rose to high altitudes, severely disrupting international air traffic and coating entire villages in a thick grey blanket, prompting immediate humanitarian and environmental concerns in one of the world’s most geologically active zones.

Local communities bore the immediate brunt of the eruption. Residents in several kebeles, including Fia and Nemma-Gubi, reported persistent coughing and respiratory distress caused by inhaling fine ash particles. Livestock, the primary livelihood for the predominantly pastoralist population, faced acute crisis as grazing lands and water sources were rendered unusable under layers of ash. Authorities confirmed that animals were refusing contaminated water and grass, raising fears of widespread loss in an already harsh environment where survival depends heavily on herds.

The eruption’s far-reaching ash cloud forced sweeping aviation disruptions across the Middle East and South Asia. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued urgent directives leading Air India to cancel eleven international and domestic flights on Monday and Tuesday for mandatory inspections of aircraft that may have traversed affected airspace. Akasa Air suspended services to Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi, while Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi recorded at least seven international cancellations and over a dozen significant delays on Tuesday alone. High-altitude winds propelled the plume across the Red Sea, Yemen, Oman, the Arabian Sea, western and northern India, and onward toward China before dissipation began late Tuesday.

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Health and emergency responses were swiftly mobilised despite the area’s remoteness. Two mobile medical teams from the broader Afar Region were dispatched to the worst-hit villages to treat respiratory ailments and monitor public health. District health official Abedella Mussa confirmed the deployments, emphasising the urgency of reaching isolated communities cut off by ash-covered roads. Meanwhile, livestock officers, including Nuur Mussa, coordinated assessments of animal welfare and explored emergency fodder and water provisions.

Geologists described the event as both rare and expected within the broader context of the East African Rift system. Professor Atalay Ayele of Addis Ababa University noted that Hayli Gubbi’s eruption marks the first confirmed activity in approximately ten millennia, adding that such events, while intense, are typically short-lived in this volcanic chain. Authorities and scientists continue monitoring the volcano closely, anticipating complete cessation of activity in the coming days while preparing for potential longer-term ecological and economic repercussions across the affected region.

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