May Kinetal massacre

The May Kinetal massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in May Kinetal (Tigrinya: ማይ ቅነጣል) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 24 to 27 February 2021, with aftermath killings on 5 March.[1] May Kinetal is the central market town in woreda Indafelasi, Central zone of Tigray.

May Kinetal massacre
Part of Tigray War
May Kinetal
May Kinetal
Location of May Kinetal in Tigray (Ethiopia)
LocationMay Kinetal (Tigrinya: ማይ ቅነጣል), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date24 to 27 February 2021
TargetTigrayans
Attack type
Deaths263 civilians
Perpetrators Eritrean Defence Forces

Massacre

The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) killed hundreds of civilians in May Kinetal (Central Tigray) on 24 to 27 February 2021.[1][2][3]

Every time I get to talk to someone who managed to flee from the area, it’s like a round of pain and shock again and again
— Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel, a diaspora Tigrayan from May Kinetal, [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.[4]

Perpetrators

Witnesses and district administrator reported the perpetrators of this massacre as being Eritrean soldiers.[2][3]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 263 victims of this massacre, 260 on 24-27 February and three on 5 March 2021.[1]

Reactions

The district administrator, appointed by the Transitional Government of Tigray loyal to Abiy Ahmed, wrote a detailed letter, dated 16 June 2021, detailing the massacres, rape, looting and starvation in Indafelasi district.[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.[4][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]

See also

References
  1. Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
  2. Associated Press, 30 June 2021: Trapped in Ethiopia’s Tigray, people ‘falling like leaves’
  3. Tghat, 30 June 2021: Damage Assessment from Mai Kinetal Wereda
  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
  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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