27 February 2021 Addi Geba massacre
The Second Addi Geba massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Addi Geba (Tigrinya: ኣዲ ግባ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 27 February 2021.[1] Addi Geba is a village in the woreda Indafelasi, Central zone of Tigray.
| Second Addi Geba massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Tigray War | |
![]() Addi Geba ![]() Addi Geba Location of Addi Geba in Tigray (Ethiopia) | |
| Location | Addi Geba (Tigrinya: ኣዲ ግባ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia |
| Date | 27 February 2021 |
| Target | Tigrayans |
Attack type | |
| Deaths | 39 civilians |
| Perpetrators | |
Massacre
The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) killed 39 civilians in Addi Geba (Central Tigray) on 27 February 2021.[1][2][3]
Every day could change the lives of my family. I have to prepare for the worst. Every few minutes you think about your family, are they alive?
— Tsige, native to Addi Geba and student in Japan, [2]
Typical massacres committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers in the Tigray war are (1) revenge when they lose a battle; (2) to terrorise and extract information about whereabouts of TPLF leaders; (3) murder of suspected family members of TDF fighters; and (4) terrorising the Tigray society as a whole such as in case of mass killings in churches.[4]
Perpetrators
Witnesses and district administrator reported the perpetrators of this massacre as being Eritrean soldiers.[2][3]
Victims
The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 39 victims of this massacre.[1]
Reactions
The district administrator, appointed by the Transitional Government of Tigray loyal to Abiy Ahmed, wrote a detailed letter, dated 16 June 2021, detailing the massacres, rape, looting and starvation in Indafelasi district.[2]
The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation”,[1] that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly regarding its Annex A, that lists massacres in the Tigray War.[4][5][6][7]
After months of denial by the Ethiopian authorities that massacres occurred in Tigray, a joint investigation by OHCHR and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission was announced in March 2021.[8]
While the Ethiopian government promised that Eritrean troops will be pulled out from Tigray, the Eritrean government denies any participation in warfare in Tigray, let alone in massacres.[9]
References
- Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
- Associated Press, 30 June 2021: Trapped in Ethiopia’s Tigray, people ‘falling like leaves’
- Tghat, 30 June 2021: Damage Assessment from Mai Kinetal Wereda
- The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
- EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region
- CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre
- The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified
- France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe
- DW, 19 March 2021: Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray?

