Adigrat massacres

The Adigrat massacres were mass extrajudicial killings by the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) that took place in and near Adigrat in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during late 2020 during the Tigray War.[1] These included 59 civilians executed in Zalambessa on 18 November, 8–15 in Hawzen on 25 November, 80–150 at the Maryam Dengelat church near Idaga Hamus on 30 November, and 13 boys aged 12–15 in an incident around 1–14 December.[2][3]

Adigrat before the Tigray War

Massacres

According to Jan Nyssen, a Belgian physical geographer who collected testimony from "credible, direct eye witnesses" who had reached Mekelle and reported their experiences by telephone, mass extrajudicial killings took place in and around Adigrat during the Tigray War in late November and in December 2020 by the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF).[2]

November
Main article: November 2020 Idaga Hamus massacre
Main article: Zalambessa massacre
Main article: Dengelat massacre

On 18 November, the EDF killed 59 civilians in their houses in Zalambessa.[2]

On 21 November, shortly after capturing Idaga Hamus, the EDF executed 24 civilians.[4]

After the EDF took control of Adigrat itself, the EDF took 12 civilian men to the edge of the town and executed them.[4] Official Ethiopian federal sources said that the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) took control of Adigrat on 21 November.[5]

On 25 November, the EDF executed 8–15 civilians after handcuffing them at the Addis Pharmaceutical Factory in Adigrat and 8 civilians in their houses in Hawzen.[2]

On 30 November, the EDF killed between 80 and 150 civilians in the compound of Maryam Dengelat church 5 km south-west of Idaga Hamus, according to Nyssen.[2] Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA) reported the number of executions by the EDF at the Maryam Dengelat church as 150, with an unknown date.[3]

December
Main article: Goda massacre
Main article: Late December 2020 Hawzen massacre

On 2 December, 17 teenagers and young men were taken from Sasun Betehawariyat, near Idaga Hamus, by EDF soldiers to help to loot the Goda Bottle and Glass Share Company, near Hadish Hiwot. Teame Hagos and Negasi Berihu tried to escape and were immediately shot dead. The other 15 were executed in the evening. The EDF withdrew on 31 December and the families of the victims held a formal gathering for mourning.[6]

Around 1–14 December, 13 boys from Tokot village near Idaga Hamus, aged 12–15, were forced to help EDF soldiers in loading a truck and were then executed.[2]

In late December, Zenebu, a witness from Hawzen interviewed by Associated Press, stated that she saw 70 bodies of people lying on the ground who she recognised. She stated that a 12-year-old boy in Hawzen had been killed by soldiers after carrying out errands for them. She attributed the killings to the ENDF, Amhara forces and the EDF. She identified EDF members as Eritrean based on cheek markings and their dialect of Tigrinya.[7]

The EHRC–OHCHR Tigray investigation reported the massacres in this locality, without going into further detail.[8]

References
  1. Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation, Annex A
  2. Nyssen, Jan (2021). "The situation in Tigray at the beginning of 2021". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  3. "Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 31 – 20 December" (PDF). Europe External Programme with Africa. 2020-12-20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  4. Zelalem, Zecharias; Brown, Will (2021-01-08). "Eritrea's brutal shadow war in Ethiopia laid bare". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2021-01-10. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  5. "Ethiopia says it captured Tigrayan town of Adigrat". Al Jazeera English. 2020-11-21. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  6. K. Tesfay, Mehari (2021-02-10). "The Goda massacre: The story of three brothers". Tghat. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  7. Anna, Cara (2020-01-25). "Witnesses: Eritrean soldiers loot, kill in Ethiopia's Tigray". The Washington Post. AP. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  8. Tibebu, Israel (2021-11-03). "Report of the EHRC/OHCHR Joint Investigation into Alleged Violations of International Human Rights, Humanitarian and Refugee Law Committed by all Parties to the Conflict in the Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia" (PDF). EHRC, OHCHR. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
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