Kelawlo massacre

The Kelawlo massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Kelawlo (Tigrinya: ከላውሎ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 9 January 2021.[1] Kelawlo is a village that belongs to tabiya Ziban Gedena, woreda Tahtay Adiyabo, northwestern zone of Tigray.

Kelawlo massacre
Part of Tigray War
Kelawlo
Kelawlo
Location of Kelawlo in Tigray (Ethiopia)
LocationKelawlo (Tigrinya: ከላውሎ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date9 January 2021
TargetTigrayans
Attack type
Deaths15 civilians
Perpetrators Eritrean Defence Forces

Massacre

The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) killed 15 civilians in Kelawlo (northwestern Tigray) on 9 January 2021.[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; and (4) terrorising the Tigray society as a whole such as in case of mass killings in churches.[2]

Perpetrators

Relatives and witnesses interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Eritrean soldiers.[3]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 15 victims,[1] of which eight have been identified.[3]

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.[2][4][5][6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

References
  1. Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
  2. The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
  3. TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
  4. EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region
  5. CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre
  6. The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified
  7. France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe
  8. DW, 19 March 2021: Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray?
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