Idaga Hibret massacre

The Idaga Hibret massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Idaga Hibret (Tigrinya: ዕዳጋ ህብረት) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 20 April 2021.[1] Idaga Hibret is a village that belongs to woreda Asgede, Northwestern zone of Tigray.

Idaga Hibret massacre
Part of Tigray War
Idaga Hibret
Idaga Hibret
Location of Idaga Hibret in Tigray (Ethiopia)
LocationIdaga Hibret (Tigrinya: ዕዳጋ ህብረት), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date20 April 2021
TargetTigrayans
Attack type
Deaths20 civilians
Perpetrators Eritrean Defence Forces

Massacre

The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) killed twenty civilians in Idaga Hibret (Northwestern Tigray) on 20 April 2021.[2][1] EEPA also reports that most of the victims were farmers, and that the Eritrean forces denied burial service and left the bodies in the street. EEPA further dates the massacre to 29 April.[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.[3]

Perpetrators

Villagers reported the perpetrators of this massacre as being Eritrean soldiers.[4]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 20 victims of this massacre,[1] three of whom have been identified.[4]

Reactions

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.[3][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
  1. Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
  2. https://www.eepa.be//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Situation-Report-EEPA-Horn-No.-139-03-May-2021.docx.pdf
  3. The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
  4. TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
  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
  8. France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe
  9. DW, 19 March 2021: Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray?
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