Gulsha massacre

The Gulsha massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Gulsha (Tigrinya: ጉልሻ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, in the days before 21 December 2020.[1] Gulsha is a village that belongs to tabiya Digum, woreda Kilte Awulaelo, Eastern zone of Tigray.

Landscape near Gulsha
Gulsha massacre
Part of Tigray War
Gulsha
Gulsha
Location of Gulsha in Ethiopia
LocationGulsha (Tigrinya: ጉልሻ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Datein the days before 21 December 2020
TargetTigrayans
Attack type
Deaths27 civilians
Perpetrators Ethiopian National Defence Force
Eritrean Defence Forces

Massacre

Soldiers of the Ethiopian National Defense Force and of the Eritrean Defence Forces killed 27 civilians in Gulsha (Eastern Tigray) in the days before 21 December 2020.[1] In reports, the massacre may also be named after the tabiya name Digum (or Dugum).[2][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;[3] and (4) terrorising the Tigray society as a whole such as in case of mass killings in churches.[4]

Perpetrators

Relatives and other witnesses interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers.[2]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 27 victims,[1] of which 19 have been identified.[2]

Reactions

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation”,[1] that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly with regard its Annex A, that lists the massacres.[4][5][6][7]

References
  1. Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
  2. TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
  3. Tigray Defence Forces, a military structure that came into existence during the Tigray War, consisting 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.
  4. The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
  5. EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region
  6. CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre
  7. The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified
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