Simret (Hawzen) massacre

The Simret (Hawzen) massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Simret (Tigrinya: ስምረት) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 29 or 30 January 2021.[1] Simret is a tabiya that belongs to woreda Hawzen, Eastern zone of Tigray. It is located on the foot of Imba Tsiyon Mt.

Idyllic view of Simret in 1869
Simret (Hawzen) massacre
Part of Tigray War
Simret (Hawzen)
Simret (Hawzen)
Location of Simret (Hawzen) in Tigray (Ethiopia)
LocationSimret (Tigrinya: ስምረት), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date29 or 30 January 2021
TargetTigrayans
Attack type
Deaths48 civilians
Perpetrators Ethiopian National Defence Force
Eritrean Defence Forces

Massacre

The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) and Ethiopian National Defence Force killed 48 civilians in Simret (Hawzen) (Eastern Tigray) on 29 or 30 January 2021.[1] The killing spree affected also the neighbouring villages of Degamba and Addi Beles.

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 49 victims,[1] of which four 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 Archived 2021-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
  2. The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray Archived 2021-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
  3. TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources Archived 2021-07-11 at the Wayback Machine
  4. EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region Archived 2021-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  5. CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre Archived 2021-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
  6. The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified Archived 2021-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
  7. France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe Archived 2021-04-22 at the Wayback Machine
  8. DW, 19 March 2021: Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray? Archived 2021-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.