Dansha massacre

The Dansha massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing spree that took place in Dansha (Tigrinya: ዳንሽሃ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, from 5–19 November 2020.[3] Dansha is a town in the Western zone of Tigray.

Dansha massacre
Part of Tigray War
Dansha
Dansha
Location of Dansha in Ethiopia
LocationDansha (Tigrinya: ዳንሽሃ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date5-19 November
TargetTigrayans
Attack type
Deaths21 civilians;[1] 25 according to EHRC[2]
Perpetrators Fanno militia

Massacre

The Fanno militia killed 21 civilians in Dansha (Western Tigray) between 5–19 November 2020.[1] The killing spree started on 5 November and aimed especially at Tigrayan seasonal farm labourers and petty traders. It reached its paroxysm on 19 November, when 6 people were killed.[3] The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) puts the number of civilian victims at 25.[2] Victims were often stabbed by knife or hacked to death with machetes.[1]

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;[4] and (4) terrorising the Tigray society as a whole such as in case of mass killings in churches.[5] If the Dansha massacre may partly hold all these elements, ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans may be the main driver of the massacre. The government-affiliated EHRC candidly quotes the new interim coordinator of Dansha: “Tigrayans live peacefully in the area, but those residents who felt at risk were provided with transportation to their chosen destinations”.[2]

Perpetrators

Relatives and witnesses interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Amharic Fanno militia.[1]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 6 victims (for 19 November only),[3], EHRC mentions 25 of them for the whole period of the killing spree. 21 have been identified.[1]

Reactions

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation”,[3] that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly with regard its Annex A, that lists the massacres.[5][6][7][8]

References
  1. TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
  2. Ethiopian Human Rights Commission: Brief Monitoring Report on the Situation of Civilians in Humera, Dansha and Bissober
  3. Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
  4. Tigray Defence Forces, a military structure that came into existence during the Tigray War, consisted of a merger of Special Forces of the Tigray Regional Government, defected soldiers of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, local militia, members of Tigrayan political parties (TPLF, National Congress of Great Tigray, Salsay Weyane Tigray, Tigray Independence Party, ...) and numerous youth who fled to the mountains.
  5. The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
  6. EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region
  7. CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre
  8. The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified
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