Inda Teka Tesfay roadside massacre

The Inda Teka Tesfay roadside massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Inda Teka Tesfay (Tigrinya: አንዳ ተካ ተስፋይ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 23 March 2021.[1] Inda Teka Tesfay is a village that belongs to tabiya Sendada, woreda Tsa’ida Imba, Eastern zone of Tigray.

Countryside near Inda Teka Tesfay
Inda Teka Tesfay roadside massacre
Part of Tigray War
Inda Teka Tesfay
Inda Teka Tesfay
Location of Inda Teka Tesfay in Tigray (Ethiopia)
LocationInda Teka Tesfay (Tigrinya: አንዳ ተካ ተስፋይ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date23 March 2021
TargetTigrayan male youngsters
Attack type
Deaths4-26 civilians
Perpetrators Ethiopian National Defence Force

Massacre

The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) killed dozens of civilians along the main Mekelle-Adigrat road in Inda Teka Tesfay (Eastern Tigray)on 23 March 2021.[1] They stopped public transport mini-buses, took out the passengers, and killed at least four, probably up to 26 people.

The men were separated from the women, who were allowed to walk away. Shortly afterward, the men were shot.
— Karline Kleijer, head of emergency programs for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF[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] The Inda Teka Tesfay massacre took place after an attack by TDF on an Ethiopian army convoy.[2]

Perpetrators

MSF reported the perpetrators of this massacre as being Ethiopian soldiers.[2]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 16 victims of this massacre,[1] travellers mention a total of 26 (of whom 21 in Inda Teka Tesfay and 5 in May Megelta), and MSF mentions four of whom they witnessed the execution. Only one has been identified.[4]

Very few victims could be identified because as travellers they were unkown to other travellers or surrounding people. After separation from the men, the women would have been taken to an unknown location by bus.[5]

Reactions

MSF issued a communiqué stating that they are horrified by the continued violence in Tigray, including the Inda Teka Tesfay extrajudicial killings.[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.[3][6][7][8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

References
  1. Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
  2. MSF, 24 March 2021: Ethiopia: MSF staff attacked after witnessing killings by soldiers in Tigray
  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. "EEPA No. 111 – 25 March 2021" (PDF). Europe External Programme with Africa. 2021-03-25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  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
  9. France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe
  10. DW, 19 March 2021: Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray?
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