Maryam Hareko massacre

The Maryam Hareko massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Hareko (Tigrinya: ሃረኮ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 29 January 2021.[1] Hareko is a village that belongs to woreda Hintalo, Southwestern zone of Tigray.

Maryam Hareko massacre
Part of Tigray War
Hareko
Hareko
Location of Hareko in Tigray (Ethiopia)
LocationHareko (Tigrinya: ሃረኮ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date29 January 2021
TargetTigrayans
Attack type
Deaths19 civilians
Perpetrators Eritrean Defence Forces

Massacre

The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) killed 19 civilians in Hareko's St. Mary (Maryam) church (southwestern Tigray) on 29 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

Eyewitnesses interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Eritrean soldiers.[3]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 19 victims,[1] of which seven 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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