Ethiopia's Afar Region Yields 2.6 Million-Year-Old Hominin Fossil Discovery

Addis Ababa, January 21, 2026 (ENA)— A research team led by Zeresenay Alemseged, a researcher at the University of Chicago in the United States, discovered 2.6 million-year-old hominin species fossil remains in Ethiopia's Afar region for the first time. Briefing journalists today, Zeresenay said that the new Hominin fossil named Paranthropus was found at the Mille-Logya paleoanthropological site of the Afar region. Dubbed “the Land of Origins,” Ethiopia has made unique contributions to the study of human origins, he noted. Zeresenay pointed out that many paleontological and archaeological sites across the country have yielded hominin fossils and stone tool artifacts spanning the entire history of the human lineage going back to 6 million years ago. Among the many places in Ethiopia, the Afar Depression occupies a special place in this regard. Recalled archaeological discoveries from Dikika, Ledi-Geraru, Gona, Hadar and the Middle Awash — all in the Afar — have shown successive evolution of hominin behavior from 3.5 million years ago to recent times. Moreover, dozens of hominin species belonging to Ardipithecus, Australopithecus and Homo have been discovered here. Despite this, however, the genus Paranthropus has been conspicuously absent from the Afar, even though it has been found in South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, and southern Ethiopia, he emphasized. The absence of Paranthropus from the Afar has long puzzled researchers, and many had concluded that it never made it into the Afar region. Ethiopian Heritage Authority Deputy Director General, Elias Shikur, said that the discovery of the new hominin species in the Afar region reaffirmed Ethiopia as the "Cradle of Humankind." The deputy director general emphasized that through collaborative efforts between esteemed Ethiopian and international researchers, Ethiopia has gained prominence on the global stage for its contributions to understanding human origins. Elias pointed out that recent discoveries of hominin fossil remains would attract worldwide attention, solidifying Ethiopia's significance in both the tourism sector and diplomatic relations. The new hominin species known as Paranthropus in Afar marked a pivotal moment in the field of paleoanthropology. “Ethiopia’s Afar region is emerging as a leading site for paleoanthropological research, with evidence that many early human species once thrived there,” he stated. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of this discovery in highlighting Ethiopia’s unique position in the ongoing search for human origins.