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{{Short description| |
{{Short description|2020 ethnic cleansing in the Tigray War of Ethiopia}} |
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{{Infobox civilian attack |
{{Infobox civilian attack |
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| date = 9–10 November 2020 |
| date = 9–10 November 2020 ({{Time ago|Nov 9, 2020}}) |
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| title = Mai Kadra massacre |
| title = Mai Kadra massacre |
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| location = [[Mai Kadra]], [[Tigray Region]], Ethiopia |
| location = [[Mai Kadra]], [[Tigray Region]], Ethiopia |
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| partof = [[Tigray War]] |
| partof = [[Tigray War]] |
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| image = File:Funeral services for victims of mass murders in the city of Mai-kadra held at Abu Aregawi Church.png |
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| caption = Funeral service for the massacre in Mai Kadra |
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| fatalities = at least 700 civilians |
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| map_caption = Location of [[Mai Kadra]] in Tigray and Ethiopia |
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| target = Locals and migrant workers ([[Amhara people|Amhara]] and [[Tigrayans]] per [[Amnesty International|Amnesty]];<ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre" /><ref name="amnesty_11_12" /><br /> [[Amhara people|Amhara]] and [[Welkait]] per [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission|EHRC]];<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /><br />[[Tigrayans]] per refugees<ref name="Reuters_11_12_2" /><ref name="ft_9_12"/>) |
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| fatalities = 600 to 1,100 (varying estimates) |
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| target = Locals and migrant workers (mostly [[Amhara people|Amhara]] per [[OHCHR]], [[Amnesty International|Amnesty]], [[Ethiopian Human Rights Council|EHRCO]] and Agence France-Presse;<ref name="ehrcreport"/><ref name="amnesty_11_12" /><ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-25 |title=Questions linger among the corpses of an Ethiopian massacre |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201125-questions-linger-among-the-corpses-of-an-ethiopian-massacre |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref><br /> mostly [[Amhara people|Amhara]] per [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission|EHRC]];<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /><br />[[Tigrayans]] per Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Financial Times) <ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre" /><ref name="AFP_Escape_from_massacre_Yahoo"/><ref name="ft_9_12"/>) |
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* [[Mass killing]] |
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| type = [[Mass killing]], [[ethnic cleansing]] |
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| perps = {{flagicon|Tigray}} |
| perps = * {{flagicon|Tigray}} Tigrayan youths and police ''(per Amnesty, OHCHR, EHRC, EHRCO)''<ref name="ehrcreport"/><ref name="amnesty_11_12" /><ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /><ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> |
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{{flagicon|Tigray}} {{flagicon image|Infobox TPLF.png}} forces loyal to [[Tigray People's Liberation Front|TPLF]] ''(per Amnesty, EHRC)''<ref name=" |
* {{flagicon|Tigray}} {{flagicon image|Infobox TPLF.png}} forces loyal to [[Tigray People's Liberation Front|TPLF]] ''(per Amnesty, OHCHR, EHRC, Agence France-Presse, Financial Times)''<ref name="ehrcreport"/><ref name="amnesty_11_12" /><ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /><ref name="ft_9_12"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-25 |title=Questions linger among the corpses of an Ethiopian massacre |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201125-questions-linger-among-the-corpses-of-an-ethiopian-massacre |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref> |
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{{flagicon| |
* {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Ethiopia_(Blank).svg}} [[Fano (militia)|Fano]] ''(per Financial Times, Associated Press, Vice) <ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre" /><ref name="ft_9_12"/><ref name="Vice_Exterminate_Us_All"/> |
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{{flagicon| |
* {{flagicon|Ethiopia}} [[Ethiopian National Defense Force]] ''(per Associated Press, Agence France-Presse)''<ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre" /><ref name="AFP_Escape_from_massacre_Yahoo"/> |
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}} |
}} |
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The '''Mai Kadra massacre''' was a [[massacre]] and [[ethnic cleansing]] carried out during the [[Tigray War]] on 9–10 November 2020 in the town of [[Mai Kadra]] in [[Western Zone, Tigray|Welkait]] (a disputed area between the Amhara and Tigray Regions) in northwestern [[Ethiopia]], near the [[Ethiopia–Sudan border|Sudanese border]].<ref name="BBC_11_12">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-africa-54922971|title=Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: 'Civilians massacred', says Amnesty International|work=[[BBC World News]]|access-date=12 November 2020|archive-date=19 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119083308/https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-africa-54922971|url-status=live}}</ref> Responsibility was attributed to a pro-TPLF youth group and forces loyal to the [[Tigray People's Liberation Front]] (TPLF) in the [[EHRC–OHCHR Tigray investigation|EHRC-OHCHR Tigray Investigation]], preliminary investigations by [[Amnesty International]], the [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]] (EHRC) and the [[Ethiopian Human Rights Council]] (EHRCO), and interviews conducted in Mai Kadra by [[Agence France-Presse]].<ref name="ehrcreport">{{Cite web |author=UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights |date=2021-11-03 |title=Report of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC)/Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Joint Investigation into Alleged Violations of International Human Rights, Humanitarian and Refugee Law Committed by all Parties to the Conflict in the Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3947207|access-date=31 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="amnesty_11_12">{{cite web |title=Ethiopia: Investigation reveals evidence that scores of civilians were killed in massacre in Tigray state |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/11/ethiopia-investigation-reveals-evidence-that-scores-of-civilians-were-killed-in-massacre-in-tigray-state/ |access-date=12 November 2020 |website=[[Amnesty International]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201121190255/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/11/ethiopia-investigation-reveals-evidence-that-scores-of-civilians-were-killed-in-massacre-in-tigray-state/ |archive-date=21 November 2020 |date=12 November 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary">{{cite web | title= EHRCO Preliminary Investigation Report on Major Human Rights Violations in and around Maikadra | website= [[Ethiopian Human Rights Council]] |date = 2020-12-25 | url = https://ehrco.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EHRCO-Preliminary-Investigation-Report-on-Major-Human-Rights-Violations-in-and-around-Maikadra-1.pdf | access-date = 2021-01-20 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223923/https://ehrco.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EHRCO-Preliminary-Investigation-Report-on-Major-Human-Rights-Violations-in-and-around-Maikadra-1.pdf |archive-date= 2020-12-25 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="EHRC_Preliminary">{{Cite web|url=https://ehrc.org/ethiopian-human-rights-commission-rapid-investigation-into-grave-human-rights-violation-maikadra-preliminary-findings/|title=Rapid Investigation into Grave Human Rights Violation Maikadra - Preliminary Findings|date=November 24, 2020|website=[[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-25 |title=Questions linger among the corpses of an Ethiopian massacre |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201125-questions-linger-among-the-corpses-of-an-ethiopian-massacre |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] (OHCHR) and EHRC reported that at least 5 Tigrayans were killed in Mai Kadra by [[Amhara people|Amhara]] militas such as [[Fano (militia)|Fano]] in retaliation.<ref name="ehrcreport" /> Tigrayan refugees in Sudan told multiple news outlets that Tigrayans in Mai Kadra were targeted by either Amhara militias,<ref name="ft_9_12">{{cite news |first1=Andres |last1=Schipani|title=Refugees flee Ethiopia's brutal war with tales of atrocities on both sides |url=https://www.ft.com/content/31bd995c-5991-4247-9f69-cea858895fb1 |access-date=9 December 2020 |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |date=2020-12-04 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201204104758/https://www.ft.com/content/31bd995c-5991-4247-9f69-cea858895fb1 |archive-date=2020-12-04 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Vice_Exterminate_Us_All">{{Cite news |last1= Steers | first1= Julia | date= 2020-12-24 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzqw/hes-planning-to-exterminate-us-all-ethiopians-speak-of-ethnic-massacres |title='He's Planning to Exterminate Us All': Ethiopians Speak of Ethnic Massacres |newspaper=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |access-date=25 December 2020 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20201225193844/https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzqw/hes-planning-to-exterminate-us-all-ethiopians-speak-of-ethnic-massacres |archive-date= 2020-12-25 |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Ethiopian National Defense Force]] (ENDF),<ref name="AFP_Escape_from_massacre_Yahoo">{{cite news | title= Escape from massacre: Ethiopians recall Tigray conflict horror | date= 2020-11-17 |agency=[[Agence France-Presse (AFP)]] | url= https://money.yahoo.com/escape-massacre-ethiopians-recall-tigray-092740037.html |access-date=2021-01-03 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210103031122/https://money.yahoo.com/escape-massacre-ethiopians-recall-tigray-092740037.html?_guc_consent_skip=1609643519 |archive-date= 2021-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref> or both.<ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre">{{cite news | last1= Abuelgasim | first1= Fay | last2= el-Mofty | first2= Nariman |last3=Anna |first3=Cara | title= Shadowy Ethiopian massacre could be tip of the iceberg | date= 2020-12-12 |work=[[Associated Press]] | url= https://apnews.com/article/sudan-ethiopia-massacres-d16a089f8dcb0511172b5662b9244f78 |access-date=2020-12-12 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20201212161358/https://apnews.com/article/sudan-ethiopia-massacres-d16a089f8dcb0511172b5662b9244f78 |archive-date= 2020-12-12 |url-status=live | quote= It's possible that civilians from both ethnicities were targeted in Mai-Kadra, Amnesty now says.}}</ref> |
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The '''Mai Kadra massacre''' was a series of [[ethnic cleansing]] and [[mass murders]] carried out on 9–10 November 2020 in the town of [[Mai Kadra]] in the [[Tigray Region]] of northwestern [[Ethiopia]], near the [[Sudan]]ese border.<ref name="BBC_11_12">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-africa-54922971|title=Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: 'Civilians massacred', says Amnesty International|work=[[BBC World News]]}}</ref> Responsibility was attributed to youths from the ''Samri'' and other [[kebele]]s loyal to the [[Tigray People's Liberation Front]], in preliminary investigations by [[Amnesty International]] (Amnesty), the [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]] (EHRC) and the [[Ethiopian Human Rights Council]] (EHRCO);<ref name="amnesty_11_12" /><ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /><ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /> and to Amhara militias, in interviews conducted in Sudan by [[Reuters]] and the ''[[Financial Times]]''<ref name="Reuters_11_12_2" /><ref name="ft_9_12"/> and to both Amhara militias and the [[Ethiopian National Defense Force]] (ENDF) by [[Associated Press|Associated Press (AP)]], ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'', [[Agence France-Presse (AFP)]] and [[Africanews|AfricaNews]].<ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre" /><ref name="Vice_Exterminate_Us_All" /><ref name="AFP_Escape_from_massacre_Yahoo"/><ref name="Africanews_Mai-Kadra_massacre"/> |
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The killings took place amidst |
The killings took place amidst an armed conflict between the TPLF-led regional government and the [[government of Ethiopia|federal government]]. The killings began before the ENDF troops entered the town.<ref name="amnesty_11_12" /><ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> The victims have been described as civilians, many of whom were day laborers hailing from neighboring [[Amhara Region]].<ref name="amnesty_11_12" /><ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> |
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The total death toll remains unclear, but according to Amnesty International, "likely hundreds" were killed.<ref name="Reuters_11_12">{{cite news |last1= |
The total death toll remains unclear, but according to Amnesty International, "likely hundreds" were killed.<ref name="Reuters_11_12">{{cite news |last1=Giulia |first1=Paravicini |title=Ethiopia claims big advance in Tigray, Amnesty reports mass killing |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict/ethiopia-claims-big-advance-in-tigray-amnesty-reports-mass-killing-idUSKBN27S0K3 |access-date=12 November 2020 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=12 November 2020 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112215436/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict/ethiopia-claims-big-advance-in-tigray-amnesty-reports-mass-killing-idUSKBN27S0K3 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two videos, which were analyzed by Amnesty International to prove that the massacre had taken place, show dozens of corpses with injuries caused by bladed weapons, like machetes. According to the EHRC, which described the massacre as a "widespread and systematic attack directed against a civilian population" at least 600 people were killed; EHRCO counted 1100 deaths. Most of the victims were Amhara according to Amnesty International, OHCHR, EHRC, and EHRCO investigations, but there were Tigrayan victims as well.<ref name="amnesty_11_12"/><ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /><ref name="ft_9_12"/><ref name="addisstandard_11_24">{{cite news |title=Maikadra massacre is a "crime of atrocity": Human Rights Commission |url=https://addisstandard.com/news-tigray-maikadra-massacre-of-civilians-is-a-crime-of-atrocity-ethiopian-human-rights-commission/ |access-date=24 November 2020 |newspaper=[[Addis Standard]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201125215635/https://addisstandard.com/news-tigray-maikadra-massacre-of-civilians-is-a-crime-of-atrocity-ethiopian-human-rights-commission/ |archive-date=25 November 2020 |url-status=live |date=24 November 2020 }}</ref> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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{{main|Tigray |
{{main|Tigray War}} |
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Throughout 2019 and 2020, tensions progressively increased between the Ethiopian federal government, led by Prime Minister [[Abiy Ahmed]], and the local government of the [[Tigray Region]], led by Chief Administrator [[Debretsion Gebremichael]], over allegations that members of the ruling [[Tigray People's Liberation Front]] (TPLF), which was the dominant force in Ethiopian politics after the fall of [[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] in 1991, were being unfairly targeted for prosecution by the central government, and misgivings of the [[2018 Eritrea–Ethiopia summit|Eritrea–Ethiopia peace deal]], which the TPLF viewed as endangering its security. |
Throughout 2019 and 2020, tensions progressively increased between the Ethiopian federal government, led by Prime Minister [[Abiy Ahmed]], and the local government of the [[Tigray Region]], led by Chief Administrator [[Debretsion Gebremichael]], over allegations that members of the ruling [[Tigray People's Liberation Front]] (TPLF), which was the dominant force in Ethiopian politics after the fall of [[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] in 1991, were being unfairly targeted for prosecution by the central government, and misgivings of the [[2018 Eritrea–Ethiopia summit|Eritrea–Ethiopia peace deal]], which the TPLF viewed as endangering its security. |
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Federal-state relations deteriorated considerably after the [[2020 Tigray regional election|region held local elections]] in September 2020, which the TPLF claimed to have won in a landslide, despite the Ethiopian government having postponed elections until 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="bbc_11_5">{{cite news |last1=Gebremedhin |first1=Desta |title=Tigray crisis: Why there are fears of civil war in Ethiopia |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54826875 |access-date=12 November 2020 |work=[[BBC World News]] |date=5 November 2020}}</ref> After the elections, both sets of governments proclaimed the other illegitimate and illegal; the federal government maintaining that the regional elections had been extra-constitutional and neither free nor fair, and the regional government insisting that the federal government did not uphold the constitution which stated that elections should occur every 5 years and that its mandate had expired, rendering its authority null and void.<ref name="bbc_11_5"/> |
Federal-state relations deteriorated considerably after the [[2020 Tigray regional election|region held local elections]] in September 2020, which the TPLF claimed to have won in a landslide, despite the Ethiopian government having postponed elections until 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="bbc_11_5">{{cite news |last1=Gebremedhin |first1=Desta |title=Tigray crisis: Why there are fears of civil war in Ethiopia |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54826875 |access-date=12 November 2020 |work=[[BBC World News]] |date=5 November 2020 |archive-date=13 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113131409/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54826875 |url-status=live }}</ref> After the elections, both sets of governments proclaimed the other illegitimate and illegal; the federal government maintaining that the regional elections had been extra-constitutional and neither free nor fair, and the regional government insisting that the federal government did not uphold the constitution which stated that elections should occur every 5 years and that its mandate had expired, rendering its authority null and void.<ref name="bbc_11_5"/> |
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In November 2020, [[Tigray |
In November 2020, [[Tigray War|open conflict broke out]] between the two governments when Tigray Region security forces [[Northern Command attacks (Ethiopia)|attacked the headquarters of the Northern Command]] of the [[Ethiopian National Defence Force]] (ENDF) in [[Mekelle]].<ref name="amnesty_11_12"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-24 |title=Ethiopia's TPLF admits it started war with attempt to 'disarm' ENDF's Northern Command |url=https://www.sudanspost.com/ethiopias-tplf-admits-it-started-war-with-attempt-to-disarm-endfs-northern-command/ |access-date=2022-04-30 |website=Sudans Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reda |first=Getachew |title=The World Must Condemn Human Rights Abuses in Tigray as It Does in Ukraine |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/23/ethiopia-tigray-russia-ukraine-abiy-putin-human-rights-abuses/ |access-date=2022-04-30 |website=Foreign Policy |language=en-US}}</ref> The federal government quickly launched an offensive to restore its authority, in concerted effort with regional security forces from the [[Amhara Region|Amhara]] and [[Afar Region]]s. The Ethiopian government shut down communications in Tigray, access to the Internet was blocked, banking was closed for residents of Tigray, as was transportation to and from Tigray. The central government also imposed tight restrictions on access for aid and humanitarian agencies.<ref name="hrw_11_13">{{cite news |title=Ethiopia: Protect People as Tigray Crisis Escalates |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/11/13/ethiopia-protect-people-tigray-crisis-escalates# |access-date=21 November 2020 |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] |date=13 November 2020 |archive-date=21 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121000208/https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/11/13/ethiopia-protect-people-tigray-crisis-escalates |url-status=live }}</ref> The Ethiopian government prioritized securing of the region's border with Sudan and the [[border town]] of [[Humera]], thereby forestalling any possibility of TPLF forces opening a cross-border supply route.<ref name="VOA_9_12">{{cite news |last1=Atit |first1=Michael |title=Sudan Closes Ethiopia Border Until Tigray Tensions Subside |url=https://www.voanews.com/africa/south-sudan-focus/sudan-closes-ethiopia-border-until-tigray-tensions-subside |access-date=12 November 2020 |work=[[Voice of America]] |date=9 November 2020 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109235526/https://www.voanews.com/africa/south-sudan-focus/sudan-closes-ethiopia-border-until-tigray-tensions-subside |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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==Killings== |
==Killings== |
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===Preparations=== |
===Preparations=== |
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The [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]] |
The [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]] published its preliminary findings on 24 November, reporting that a few days before the attack, local militia (or "special force") and the police barred all exit points from Mai Kadra. Migrant workers, who mainly hailed from the neighboring [[Amhara Region]], were additionally prohibited from going to their places of work or moving about the town.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary"/> Checkpoints would have been established at the four main exit points by Tigrayan youths. Residents who attempted to flee the town to the outlying farmlands or across the border to [[Sudan]] were forced back by the local security forces.<ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /><ref name="EHRC_Preliminary"/><ref name="Reuters_11_24" /> |
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According to the EHRC and EHRCO reports, on the morning of 9 November, local police began going door-to-door in certain neighborhoods, particularly those where migrant workers lived, checking identity cards to identify non-Tigrayans, detaining at least 60 people who were found to be in possession of Sudanese [[SIM card]]s in their mobile phones.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary"/>{{efn|In Ethiopia ID cards include one's ethnic identification.}} According to survivors, this was done to prevent calls for help or other communications once the attack had started, as the federal government had already shut off Internet and mobile services to the region, meaning Ethiopian SIM cards did not work.<ref name="Reuters_11_12" /> Ethnic Tigrayan women and children were also told to leave the town shortly before the massacre.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> The EHRC-OHCHR Tigray Investigation reported similar conclusions.<ref name="ehrcreport" /> |
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===Attacks=== |
=== Attacks === |
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Reports on the attacks include two primary claims: that of local youth perpetrators loyal to the TPLF;<ref name=" |
Reports on the attacks include two primary claims: that of local youth perpetrators loyal to the TPLF;<ref name="amnesty_11_12" /><ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /><ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> and that of Amhara militia perpetrators.<ref name="ft_9_12" /><ref name="Vice_Exterminate_Us_All" /> Later reports suggest that both groups may have been involved in a series of massacres.<ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Ethiopia: 'We will erase you from this land': Crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia's Western Tigray Zone |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr25/5449/2022/en/ |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref> According to the EHRC-OHCHR Tigray Investigation, on 9 November 2020, a local Tigrayan youth group (''Samri''), the local administration, police, and other militias allied with the TPLF killed hundreds of Amhara civilians in Mai Kadra, then Amhara militias killed at least five Tigrayans in retaliation after the ENDF and Amhara Special Forces (ASF) had captured the town.<ref name="ehrcreport" /> |
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⚫ | The killings started in the early afternoon of 9 November, at 11:00 in some areas,<ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /> and in others around 15:00, when a former militiaman who had refused to get involved as tensions mounted was killed by a former colleague and his body burned along with his house, according to survivors, including the militiaman's wife.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /><ref name="Reuters_11_24" /> After this incident kebele youths, in groups of 20 to 30 each, accompanied by 3 or 4 members of the local police and militia, went house-to-house killing people who had already been identified as ethnic Amharas or other minorities, "beating them with batons/sticks, stabbing them with knives, machetes and hatchets and strangling them with ropes", as well as looting properties.<ref name="Reuters_11_12" /> Because migrant workers were living up to 10 to 15 in a house, the death toll quickly escalated. Police and militiamen were posted at key street intersections, shooting anyone trying to escape the violence.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> Some people managed to survive by hiding in rafters, pretending to be dead, or successfully evading security forces and fleeing into the rural hinterland. Nevertheless, some people were followed into the outlying areas and killed there as well. Many ethnic Tigrayan residents however gave shelter to their neighbors, by hiding them in their homes, in churches and on farms.<ref name="Reuters_11_24" /> One woman first hid 13 people in her home, before leading them to a nearby farm, and another was struck by the youths with a machete while trying to separate them from a man who had been lit on fire.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> |
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====Claim: Samri kebele perpetrators==== |
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⚫ | The killings started in the early afternoon of 9 November, at 11:00 in some areas,<ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /> and in others around 15:00, when a former militiaman who had refused to get involved as tensions mounted was killed by a former colleague and his body burned along with his house, according to survivors, including the militiaman's wife.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /><ref name="Reuters_11_24" /> After this incident |
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Fisseha Tekle was the [[Amnesty International]] researcher who first reported this massacre for Amnesty's preliminary report.<ref name="NPR_Killed_with_Machetes"/><ref name="Africanews_Mai-Kadra_massacre"/> Amnesty interviewed witnesses who had provided food to the ENDF. The witnesses said that forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) were responsible, apparently after they had fought against ENDF forces. Three people told Amnesty International that survivors of the massacre told them that they were attacked by members of Tigray Special Police Force and other TPLF members.<ref name="amnesty_11_12" /> According to witnesses interviewed by the EHRC, ethnic Amharas and local Wolkait people were the primary targets of the attack, but several members of other ethnic groups were also killed in the violence. Men were also specifically targeted over women and children, but many of them were physically injured and threatened with future attacks. The killings continued until the early hours of 10 November, when the perpetrators fled the town to avoid the advancing forces of the [[Ethiopian Army]], which arrived late that morning.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> |
Fisseha Tekle was the [[Amnesty International]] researcher who first reported this massacre for Amnesty's preliminary report.<ref name="NPR_Killed_with_Machetes"/><ref name="Africanews_Mai-Kadra_massacre"/> Amnesty interviewed witnesses who had provided food to the ENDF. The witnesses said that forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) were responsible, apparently after they had fought against ENDF forces. Three people told Amnesty International that survivors of the massacre told them that they were attacked by members of Tigray Special Police Force and other TPLF members.<ref name="amnesty_11_12" /> According to witnesses interviewed by the EHRC, ethnic Amharas and local Wolkait people were the primary targets of the attack, but several members of other ethnic groups were also killed in the violence. Men were also specifically targeted over women and children, but many of them were physically injured and threatened with future attacks. The killings continued until the early hours of 10 November, when the perpetrators fled the town to avoid the advancing forces of the [[Ethiopian Army]], which arrived late that morning.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> |
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After Ethiopian forces and allied militias took control of the city on 10 November, Amhara militants and special forces began to attack Tigrayans in waves of revenge killings in the following days.<ref name=":0" /> |
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====Claim: Amhara militia/ENDF perpetrators==== |
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A refugee, Barhat, aged 52, who had fled to Sudan and claimed to be present at the massacre recounted a different series of events. She had fled from "Moya Khadra" and was interviewed by [[Reuters]]. Barhat stated that she fled after people from the Amhara region attacked ethnic Tigrayans. She stated that people from Amhara "killed anyone who said they were Tigrayan. They stole our money, our cattle, and our crops from our homes and we ran with just the clothing on our backs."<ref name="Reuters_11_12_2">{{cite news |last1=Khalid Abdelaziz |first1= El Tayeb Siddig |title=Ethiopians fleeing to Sudan describe air strikes and machete killings in Tigray|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-sudan-bombings-idUSKBN27T1OP |access-date=14 November 2020 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=13 November 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/xn2UM |archive-date=2020-11-26 |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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A Tigrayan student interviewed by the ''[[Financial Times]]'' after fleeing to Sudan, Abrahaley Menasew, had a head wound that he attributed to Amhara militias attacking him in Mai Kadra. Abrahaley stated that his head had been hit by an axe, that his "neck and wrist were slashed with a machete |
A Tigrayan student interviewed by the ''[[Financial Times]]'' after fleeing to Sudan, Abrahaley Menasew, had a head wound that he attributed to Amhara militias attacking him in Mai Kadra. Abrahaley stated that his head had been hit by an axe, that his "neck and wrist were slashed with a machete . . . and he almost lost his hand." He stated that the militia members "discussed whether to kill [him] or take [him] with them" before attacking him and believing him to be dead. Abrahaley stated that his Amhara friends had informed the militias of his location because of his Tigrayan ethnicity.<ref name="ft_9_12" /> |
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Twelve Tigrayan refugees interviewed by [[Associated Press]] stated that they had been attacked by both Amhara militias and the ENDF.<ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre" /> |
Twelve Tigrayan refugees interviewed by [[Associated Press]] stated that they had been attacked by both Amhara militias and the ENDF.<ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre" /> |
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Messah Geidi, a refugee from Mai Kadra, attributed the killings to |
Messah Geidi, a refugee from Mai Kadra, attributed the killings to the ENDF, stating, "the army slaughtered the young people like sheep".<ref name="AFP_taipeitimes_the_army" /> |
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[[File:Mass graves in Maikadra have been prayed for and their bodies laid to rest in a church cemetery.jpg|thumb|341x341px|Mass graves (center), and funeral services (left and right) for the victims]] |
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===Casualties=== |
===Casualties=== |
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According to Amnesty, "scores", likely hundreds, were killed. Local media reported at least 500 fatalities.<ref name="amnesty_11_12"/> While the EHRC was unable to independently confirm death tolls, local funeral committees estimated at least 600 people had been killed, taking three days to be buried in mass graves, and that this number did not include people who had been killed in the outlying areas and had yet be buried. Victims were being treated in hospital as far away as [[Gonder]]. While most victims were men, several women had "suffered physical and mental injuries".<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary"/> EHRCO estimated 1100 deaths based on its own observations and data collection during 3–11 December 2020 visit.<ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /> |
According to Amnesty, "scores", likely hundreds, were killed. Local media reported at least 500 fatalities.<ref name="amnesty_11_12"/> While the EHRC was unable to independently confirm death tolls, local funeral committees estimated at least 600 people had been killed, taking three days to be buried in mass graves, and that this number did not include people who had been killed in the outlying areas and had yet be buried. Victims were being treated in hospital as far away as [[Gonder]]. While most victims were men, several women had "suffered physical and mental injuries".<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary"/> EHRCO estimated 1100 deaths based on its own observations and data collection during 3–11 December 2020 visit.<ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /> A special report by [[Reuters]] confirmed that at least 767 people were killed during the massacre.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Houreld |first1=Katharine |last2=Georgy |first2=Michael |last3=Aloisi |first3=Silvia |date=2021-06-07 |title=How ethnic killings exploded from an Ethiopian town |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/ethiopia-conflict-expulsions/ |access-date=2022-03-31}}</ref> |
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==Aftermath== |
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On 9 February 2021, the office of the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] said that the fighting in Ethiopia had prompted more than 60,000 people to flee into Sudan. 36% of the refugees were female, 31% were children, and 5% were elderly (over 60).<ref>{{cite web |title=Unhcr Sudan Ethiopia Situation - Daily New Arrivals Update |url=https://reporting.unhcr.org/node/28858 |website=UNHCR |access-date=9 December 2020 |archive-date=13 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213041853/https://reporting.unhcr.org/node/28858 |url-status=live }}</ref> Amnesty International Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, urged the government to restore all communications to Tigray as an act of accountability and transparency for its military operations in the region and allow unfettered access to humanitarian organizations and human rights monitors.<ref name="amnesty_11_12" /> |
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Araqi Naqashi, a 48-year-old refugee stated that in an unnamed town, he "saw the bodies of people who had been slain thrown in the streets. Others who were injured were dragged with a rope tied to a rickshaw", further claiming that "the Tigrayans are being killed and chased down. Anything is looted, and our area was attacked with tanks".<ref name="Reuters_11_12_2"/> Local Sudanese in the vicinity claimed to have heard airstrikes, and witnesses said that some of the refugees were wounded and were getting medical help at a medical facility. One said that bombings had "demolished buildings and killed people" and that he "escaped, part running on foot and part in a car, afraid [that] civilians are being killed".<ref name="Reuters_11_12_2"/> |
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⚫ | The Ethiopian government, which has repeatedly offered to shelter refugees internally, has suggested that reports from Sudan may be [[disinformation]] propagated by perpetrators posing as victims, similar to [[Great Lakes refugee crisis|ethnic Hutus who fled the country]] following the [[Rwandan genocide]], including the [[Interahamwe]] who perpetrated the genocide.<ref name="Reuters_11_24">{{cite news |title=Ethiopia commission says Tigray youth group killed 600 civilians in November 9 attack |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ethiopia-conflict-massacre/ethiopia-commission-says-tigray-youth-group-killed-600-civilians-in-nov-9-attack-idUKKBN2841TB? |access-date=24 November 2020 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=24 November 2020 |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124131838/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ethiopia-conflict-massacre/ethiopia-commission-says-tigray-youth-group-killed-600-civilians-in-nov-9-attack-idUKKBN2841TB |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="LATimes_11_24">{{cite news |title='We just ran': Ethiopians fleeing war find little relief |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-11-24/ethiopian-refugees-fleeing-war-find-little-relief |access-date=24 November 2020 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |agency=Associated Press |date=November 24, 2020 |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124125825/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-11-24/ethiopian-refugees-fleeing-war-find-little-relief |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ethiopia State of Emergency Fact Check on Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/SOEFactCheck/status/1331261456617234432 |access-date=25 November 2020 |date=24 November 2020 |quote=We have received credible intelligence that TPLF operatives have infiltrated refugees fleeing into Sudan to carry out missions of disinformation. We caution media entities & international organizations to thoroughly investigate & verify information they receive. |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124155220/https://twitter.com/SOEFactCheck/status/1331261456617234432 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Ethiopian Prime Minister [[Abiy Ahmed]] claimed that the refugees in Sudan who shared their accounts of the conflict consisted of only young men with no women or children present, and suggested that the men could be the perpetrators of atrocities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dr. Abiy Ahmed addresses Ethiopian Parliament |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCF4XxnTG0c |website=Youtube Video Mark 2:20}}</ref> In early December 2020, the federal government refused to allow independent international investigations to be conducted by humans rights bodies, claiming that to assume that the government could not investigate the events was "belittling the government" and that Ethiopia didn't "need a babysitter".<ref>{{cite news |title=Ethiopia rejects independent probes into Tigray conflict |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/9/ethiopia-rejects-independent-probes-into-tigray-conflict |newspaper=[[Al Jazeera English]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210105163304/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/9/ethiopia-rejects-independent-probes-into-tigray-conflict |archive-date=5 January 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=9 December 2020 }}</ref> |
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{{main|Humera massacre}} |
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Refugees interviewed by the ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[The New York Times]]'' stated that on arriving in Humera in early November, Amharan militias, including [[Fano (militia)|Fano]],<ref name="telegraph_11_23" /><ref name="NYT_massacres_by_Amharans" /> and the ENDF<ref name="Guard_people_dying" /> carried out massacres and beatings of Tigrayans. |
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=== OHCHR and EHRC === |
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⚫ | The Ethiopian government, which has repeatedly offered to shelter refugees internally, has suggested that |
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OHCHR and EHRC investigators concluded that on 9 November 2020, a local Tigrayan youth group (''Samri''), the local administration, police, and other militias allied with the TPLF killed hundreds of Amhara civilians in Mai Kadra with axes and machetes in house-to-house raids focused on neighborhoods where mostly Amhara farmhands lived. On 10 November 2020, as the ENDF and ASF approached the town, most members of ''Samri,'' local police, and militia responsible for the killings, as well as Tigrayans who feared retaliation, fled across the border to Sudan. Once the ENDF and ASF captured Mai Kadra, Amhara militias killed at least five Tigrayans who remained in that town in retaliation. As many of those killed were undocumented seasonal laborers, investigators found it difficult to ascertain the number of victims, but more than 200 civilians were confirmed to have been killed.<ref name="ehrcreport" /> |
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==Aftermath== |
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A witness said that of those who fled, many were women and children. The office of the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] said that the fighting in Ethiopia had prompted more than 11,000 people to flee into Sudan so far.<ref name="Reuters_11_12"/> Amnesty International Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, urged the government to restore all communications to Tigray as an act of accountability and transparency for its military operations in the region and allow unfettered access to humanitarian organizations and human rights monitors. TPLF was also urged to make clear to their commanders that deliberate attacks on civilians are prohibited.<ref name="amnesty_11_12"/> Tigray's leader [[Debretsion Gebremichael]] denied responsibility in a statement to Reuters, saying that "This is unbelievable ... this should be investigated," and accused Abiy of "creating facts on [the] ground".<ref name="Reuters_11_12"/> |
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===EHRC and EHRCO=== |
===EHRC and EHRCO=== |
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A group of investigators sent by the [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]] visited Mai Kadra to investigate the mass killings<ref>{{Cite |
A group of investigators sent by the [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]] visited Mai Kadra to investigate the mass killings<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-idUSKBN27U074 |title= Two missiles target Ethiopian airports as Tigray conflict widens. |website= [[Reuters]] |date= 14 November 2020 |access-date= 14 November 2020 |archive-date= 19 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201119083511/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-idUSKBN27U074 |url-status= live }}</ref> between 14 and 19 November 2020, as part of its investigations into human rights violations after reports of ethnic cleansing.<ref name="Reuters_11_24" /> Its preliminary findings were released on 24 November.<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" /> The EHRC report found that a massacre of civilians did indeed take place on 9 November, by a Tigrayan youth group aided by the then local administration security forces. EHRC Chief Commissioner [[Daniel Bekele]] said: {{blockquote|The unimaginably atrocious crimes committed against civilians for no reason other than their ethnicity is heartbreaking. Yet we are consoled by the stories of Ethiopians who saw beyond ethnic origin to come to the aid of their compatriots in their time of need. These stories keep the hope of a return to peaceful coexistence going. It is now an urgent priority that victims are provided redress and rehabilitation, and that perpetrators involved directly or indirectly at all levels are held to account before the law".<ref name="addisstandard_11_24" /> The EHRC stated that the evidence "strongly indicate[d] the commission of grave human rights violations which may amount to [[crimes against humanity]] and [[war crimes in the Tigray War|war crimes]].<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary" />}} |
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⚫ | The [[Ethiopian Human Rights Council]] visited Mai Kadra and the surrounding regions during 3–11 December 2020. It drew similar conclusions to those of the EHRC, but estimated the number of victims as 1100 and clarified that the term ''Samri'' referred to the [[kebele|neighborhood]] where most of the youths directly responsible for the massacre were from.<ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary" /> |
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⚫ | The [[Ethiopian Human Rights Council]] visited Mai Kadra and the surrounding regions during 3–11 December 2020. It drew similar conclusions to those of the EHRC, but estimated the number of victims as 1100 and clarified that the term ''Samri'' referred to the [[kebele| |
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===Ethiopian Federal Police=== |
===Ethiopian Federal Police=== |
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In mid-December 2020, the [[Law enforcement in Ethiopia#Ethiopian Federal Police|Ethiopian Federal Police]] (EFP) detained Enkuayehu Mesele in a refugee camp and Tesfaye Kebede, Abadit Abrha and three others in [[Addis Ababa]], on suspicion of involvement in the massacre. A military officer, Amanuel Belete, accused Enkuayehu of being the leader of the massacre.<ref name="Mereja_MaiKadra_6suspects" /> |
In mid-December 2020, the [[Law enforcement in Ethiopia#Ethiopian Federal Police|Ethiopian Federal Police]] (EFP) detained Enkuayehu Mesele in a refugee camp and Tesfaye Kebede, Abadit Abrha and three others in [[Addis Ababa]], on suspicion of involvement in the massacre. A military officer, Amanuel Belete, accused Enkuayehu of being the leader of the massacre.<ref name="Mereja_MaiKadra_6suspects" /> In late January, police spokesperson [[Zelalem Mengiste]] stated that police had investigated 117 burial sites and finalized investigations. The police issued 349 arrest warrants, among which 124 had been arrested. ''Agence de Presse Africaine'' reported Zelalem as stating that some of the suspects were defeated during the Tigray War.<ref name="APA_349_warrants_Mai_Kadra" /> |
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== See also == |
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* [[Chenna massacre]] |
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* [[Galikoma massacre]] |
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* [[Kombolcha massacre]] |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} |
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} |
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== References == |
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{{reflist|refs= |
{{reflist|refs= |
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<ref name="Vice_Exterminate_Us_All">{{Cite news |last1= Steers | first1= Julia | date= 2020-12-24 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzqw/hes-planning-to-exterminate-us-all-ethiopians-speak-of-ethnic-massacres |title='He's Planning to Exterminate Us All': Ethiopians Speak of Ethnic Massacres |quote="First, I want to save my life. Food and clothes come later," he said from the truck bed. Kahsay fled from his native Ethiopia, without notice and in the middle of his usual work day, leaving behind all of his belongings and any knowledge about his loved ones. He is part of the first wave of Ethiopian arrivals in Sudan, refugees fleeing war in the country’s northern Tigray region. He was working as a day labourer on a farm near the city of Mai Kadra when Ethiopian government-aligned ethnic militias known as Fano, from the neighbouring region of Amhara, descended. "Fano from the Amhara region came, then took us all out from our homes. We saw our neighbours killed and slaughtered, in the same way as you cut wood, with an axe and knife," Kahsay told VICE World News. As chaos tore through the city, Kahsay said Ethiopian federal forces stood by as Fano fighters went door to door, demanding to see IDs in order to identify ethnic Tigrayans. "We managed to escape and hide in a field for four days. On the fifth day, we made our way to the Sudanese border," he explained, adding that Fano militants continued to terrorise civilians attempting to flee to Sudan. On the way, he said, "youths were sent to kill us. [A group of] more than 70 were trying to kill us. We hid ourselves in the fields. They hunted us. On the way many were killed. We passed many dead bodies." In his own group of eight, only six of them made it to the border. "They checked the IDs of people...if they find someone with Tigrayan origin…[they] slaughter with a knife." As Kahsay spoke of his journey from the relative safety of the camp in eastern Sudan, women and men sitting nearby wept quietly, reliving their own recent horrors as he spoke. The violence he described was echoed by many firsthand accounts told to VICE World News at border crossings and at two new refugee camps that aid agencies are hurriedly setting up to accommodate the crush of over 50,000 new arrivals in under two months. |newspaper=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |access-date=25 December 2020 |archive-url= https://archive.today/ndxrL |archive-date= 2020-12-25 |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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<ref name="NPR_Killed_with_Machetes">{{cite news | title= Hundreds Of Civilians Killed With Machetes And Axes In Ethiopian Town | date= 2020-12-28 |agency=[[NPR]] | url= https://www.npr.org/2020/12/28/950886248/hundreds-of-civilians-killed-with-machetes-and-axes-in-ethiopian-town |access-date=2021-01-03 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210103034330/https://www.npr.org/2020/12/28/950886248/hundreds-of-civilians-killed-with-machetes-and-axes-in-ethiopian-town |archive-date= 2021-01-03 |url-status=live | quote= Fisseha Tekle, the Amnesty International researcher who first reported this massacre.}}</ref> |
<ref name="NPR_Killed_with_Machetes">{{cite news | title= Hundreds Of Civilians Killed With Machetes And Axes In Ethiopian Town | date= 2020-12-28 |agency=[[NPR]] | url= https://www.npr.org/2020/12/28/950886248/hundreds-of-civilians-killed-with-machetes-and-axes-in-ethiopian-town |access-date=2021-01-03 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210103034330/https://www.npr.org/2020/12/28/950886248/hundreds-of-civilians-killed-with-machetes-and-axes-in-ethiopian-town |archive-date= 2021-01-03 |url-status=live | quote= Fisseha Tekle, the Amnesty International researcher who first reported this massacre.}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Africanews_Mai-Kadra_massacre">{{cite news | title= Amnesty International releases findings on Mai-Kadra massacre | date= 2020-11-25 |agency=[[Africanews]] | url= https://www.africanews.com/2020/11/25/amnesty-international-releases-findings-on-mai-kadra-massacre/ |access-date=2021-01-03 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210103033243/https://www.africanews.com/2020/11/25/amnesty-international-releases-findings-on-mai-kadra-massacre/ |archive-date= 2021-01-03 |url-status=live |
<ref name="Africanews_Mai-Kadra_massacre">{{cite news | title= Amnesty International releases findings on Mai-Kadra massacre | date= 2020-11-25 |agency=[[Africanews]] | url= https://www.africanews.com/2020/11/25/amnesty-international-releases-findings-on-mai-kadra-massacre/ |access-date=2021-01-03 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210103033243/https://www.africanews.com/2020/11/25/amnesty-international-releases-findings-on-mai-kadra-massacre/ |archive-date= 2021-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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⚫ | <ref name="AFP_taipeitimes_the_army">{{cite news | title= Ethiopians recall horror of Tigray armed conflict | date= 2020-11-19 |newspaper= [[Taipei Times]] | url= https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2020/11/19/2003747209 |access-date=2020-12-22 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20201222102138/https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2020/11/19/2003747209 |archive-date= 2020-12-22 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="AFP_Escape_from_massacre_Yahoo">{{cite news | title= Escape from massacre: Ethiopians recall Tigray conflict horror | date= 2020-11-17 |agency=[[Agence France-Presse (AFP)]] | url= https://money.yahoo.com/escape-massacre-ethiopians-recall-tigray-092740037.html |access-date=2021-01-03 |archive-url= https://archive.vn/f0aKf |archive-date= 2020-01-03 |url-status=live | quote= If you are Tigrayan and captured by government soldiers, you are in trouble, said the 24-year-old. "They ask you, with a gun pointed at you, if you belong to Tigrayan forces," he said. "At the slightest hesitation, you are dead. They shoot you down on the spot and leave the body in the street." Pleading with them that you are a civilian does not make a difference, said Burhan. "They beat you, sometimes to death, or they take you with them to an unknown destination -- and I doubt if you come back alive from there," he added. "It's terror." Burhan managed to escape to Sudan, trekking through the hot bush across the border, but he was separated from his father, mother and two sisters on the way. "I don't know if they're okay," he said.....'Slaughtered like sheep' - To escape, Messah Geidi split from his wife and four-year-old son -- and he cannot forgive himself. "I don't know where they are, and if they are still alive," he said. Geidi comes from the southwestern Tigray town of Mai-Kadra, where Amnesty International said last week that "scores, and likely hundreds, of people were stabbed or hacked to death". The rights group cited sources saying the killings were perpetrated by TPLF forces, while the UN warned of possible war crimes in Tigray, condemning "reports of targeted attacks against civilians". But several refugees at the Sudanese camp said federal troops had committed atrocities. "I fled Mai-Kadra, because the army slaughtered the young people like sheep," Geidi said. Almost everyone reporters speak to in Um Raquba has a tragic story -- except 32-year-old teacher Takli Burhano. Burhano, arrested in Mai-Kadra, said he was beaten from 4:00 am to 11:00 pm. Then a soldier grabbed him, and decided to execute him. But as he readied for death, another soldier stepped in to stop the killing. "One soldier went up to his commander and told him 'you can't do that, he was my teacher.'" Burhano said. "He saved my life."}}</ref> |
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<ref name=" |
<ref name="Mereja_MaiKadra_6suspects">{{cite news | title= Ethiopian police arrest two suspects of the Mai-Kadra massacre | date= 2020-12-29 |newspaper= [[Mereja]] | url= https://mereja.com/index/342937 |access-date=2021-01-02 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210102034701/https://mereja.com/index/342937 |archive-date= 2021-01-02 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="ft_9_12">{{cite news |first1=Andres |last1=Schipani|title=Refugees flee Ethiopia's brutal war with tales of atrocities on both sides |url=https://www.ft.com/content/31bd995c-5991-4247-9f69-cea858895fb1 |access-date=9 December 2020 |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |date=2020-12-04 |archive-url=https://archive.today/imq7B |archive-date=2020-12-04 |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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<ref name="NYT_massacres_by_Amharans">{{cite news | last1= Latif Dahir | first1= Abdi | title= Fleeing Ethiopians Tell of Ethnic Massacres in Tigray War | date= 2020-12-09 |newspaper= [[The New York Times]] | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-sudan.html |access-date=2020-12-09 |archive-url= https://archive.today/fYp9x |archive-date= 2020-12-09 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="telegraph_11_23">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Will |title=After the bombs they attacked with knives, claim Ethiopians fleeing peace prize winner's war |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/11/23/ethiopia-unleashes-bombing-knife-wielding-militias-civilians/ |access-date=24 November 2020 |newspaper=The [[Daily Telegraph]] |date=23 November 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/f1c6D |archive-date=2020-11-24|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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<ref name="AP_Shadowy_massacre">{{cite news | last1= Abuelgasim | first1= Fay | last2= el-Mofty | first2= Nariman |last3=Anna |first3=Cara | title= Shadowy Ethiopian massacre could be tip of the iceberg | date= 2020-12-12 |agency=[[Associated Press]] | url= https://apnews.com/article/sudan-ethiopia-massacres-d16a089f8dcb0511172b5662b9244f78 |access-date=2020-12-12 |archive-url= https://archive.today/a9bnn |archive-date= 2020-12-12 |url-status=live | quote= It's possible that civilians from both ethnicities were targeted in Mai-Kadra, Amnesty now says.}}</ref> |
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⚫ | <ref name="AFP_taipeitimes_the_army">{{cite news | title= Ethiopians recall horror of Tigray armed conflict | date= 2020-11-19 |newspaper= [[Taipei Times]] | url= https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2020/11/19/2003747209 |access-date=2020-12-22 |archive-url= https://archive.today/ |
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<ref name="Mereja_MaiKadra_6suspects">{{cite news | title= Ethiopian police arrest two suspects of the Mai-Kadra massacre | date= 2020-12-29 |newspaper= [[Mereja]] | url= https://mereja.com/index/342937 |access-date=2021-01-02 |archive-url= https://archive.today/eyZ0W |archive-date= 2021-01-02 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="EHRCO_MaiKadra_preliminary">{{cite web | title= EHRCO Preliminary Investigation Report on Major Human Rights Violations in and around Maikadra | website= [[Ethiopian Human Rights Council]] |date = 2020-12-25 | url = https://ehrco.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EHRCO-Preliminary-Investigation-Report-on-Major-Human-Rights-Violations-in-and-around-Maikadra-1.pdf | access-date = 2021-01-20 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223923/https://ehrco.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EHRCO-Preliminary-Investigation-Report-on-Major-Human-Rights-Violations-in-and-around-Maikadra-1.pdf |archive-date= 2020-12-25 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="APA_349_warrants_Mai_Kadra">{{cite news | title= Rebel TPLF behind mass killings in Mai-Kadra town of Ethiopia – Report | date= 2021-01-31 |newspaper= [[Agence de Presse Africaine]] | url= http://apanews.net/en/news/rebel-tplf-behind-mass-killings-in-mai-kadra-town-of-ethiopia-report |access-date=2021-02-22 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210223000008/http://apanews.net/en/news/rebel-tplf-behind-mass-killings-in-mai-kadra-town-of-ethiopia-report |archive-date= 2021-02-23 |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Latest revision as of 02:12, 1 June 2024
Mai Kadra massacre | |
---|---|
Part of Tigray War | |
Location | Mai Kadra, Tigray Region, Ethiopia |
Date | 9–10 November 2020 (3 years ago) |
Target | Locals and migrant workers (mostly Amhara per OHCHR, Amnesty, EHRCO and Agence France-Presse;[1][2][3][4] mostly Amhara per EHRC;[5] Tigrayans per Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Financial Times) [6][7][8]) |
Attack type | Mass killing, ethnic cleansing |
Deaths | 600 to 1,100 (varying estimates) |
Perpetrators |
|
The Mai Kadra massacre was a massacre and ethnic cleansing carried out during the Tigray War on 9–10 November 2020 in the town of Mai Kadra in Welkait (a disputed area between the Amhara and Tigray Regions) in northwestern Ethiopia, near the Sudanese border.[11] Responsibility was attributed to a pro-TPLF youth group and forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in the EHRC-OHCHR Tigray Investigation, preliminary investigations by Amnesty International, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), and interviews conducted in Mai Kadra by Agence France-Presse.[1][2][3][5][12] The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and EHRC reported that at least 5 Tigrayans were killed in Mai Kadra by Amhara militas such as Fano in retaliation.[1] Tigrayan refugees in Sudan told multiple news outlets that Tigrayans in Mai Kadra were targeted by either Amhara militias,[8][10] the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF),[7] or both.[6]
The killings took place amidst an armed conflict between the TPLF-led regional government and the federal government. The killings began before the ENDF troops entered the town.[2][5] The victims have been described as civilians, many of whom were day laborers hailing from neighboring Amhara Region.[2][5]
The total death toll remains unclear, but according to Amnesty International, "likely hundreds" were killed.[13] Two videos, which were analyzed by Amnesty International to prove that the massacre had taken place, show dozens of corpses with injuries caused by bladed weapons, like machetes. According to the EHRC, which described the massacre as a "widespread and systematic attack directed against a civilian population" at least 600 people were killed; EHRCO counted 1100 deaths. Most of the victims were Amhara according to Amnesty International, OHCHR, EHRC, and EHRCO investigations, but there were Tigrayan victims as well.[2][3][8][14]
Background
Throughout 2019 and 2020, tensions progressively increased between the Ethiopian federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and the local government of the Tigray Region, led by Chief Administrator Debretsion Gebremichael, over allegations that members of the ruling Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which was the dominant force in Ethiopian politics after the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, were being unfairly targeted for prosecution by the central government, and misgivings of the Eritrea–Ethiopia peace deal, which the TPLF viewed as endangering its security.
Federal-state relations deteriorated considerably after the region held local elections in September 2020, which the TPLF claimed to have won in a landslide, despite the Ethiopian government having postponed elections until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] After the elections, both sets of governments proclaimed the other illegitimate and illegal; the federal government maintaining that the regional elections had been extra-constitutional and neither free nor fair, and the regional government insisting that the federal government did not uphold the constitution which stated that elections should occur every 5 years and that its mandate had expired, rendering its authority null and void.[15]
In November 2020, open conflict broke out between the two governments when Tigray Region security forces attacked the headquarters of the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) in Mekelle.[2][16][17] The federal government quickly launched an offensive to restore its authority, in concerted effort with regional security forces from the Amhara and Afar Regions. The Ethiopian government shut down communications in Tigray, access to the Internet was blocked, banking was closed for residents of Tigray, as was transportation to and from Tigray. The central government also imposed tight restrictions on access for aid and humanitarian agencies.[18] The Ethiopian government prioritized securing of the region's border with Sudan and the border town of Humera, thereby forestalling any possibility of TPLF forces opening a cross-border supply route.[19]
Killings
Preparations
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission published its preliminary findings on 24 November, reporting that a few days before the attack, local militia (or "special force") and the police barred all exit points from Mai Kadra. Migrant workers, who mainly hailed from the neighboring Amhara Region, were additionally prohibited from going to their places of work or moving about the town.[5] Checkpoints would have been established at the four main exit points by Tigrayan youths. Residents who attempted to flee the town to the outlying farmlands or across the border to Sudan were forced back by the local security forces.[3][5][20]
According to the EHRC and EHRCO reports, on the morning of 9 November, local police began going door-to-door in certain neighborhoods, particularly those where migrant workers lived, checking identity cards to identify non-Tigrayans, detaining at least 60 people who were found to be in possession of Sudanese SIM cards in their mobile phones.[5][a] According to survivors, this was done to prevent calls for help or other communications once the attack had started, as the federal government had already shut off Internet and mobile services to the region, meaning Ethiopian SIM cards did not work.[13] Ethnic Tigrayan women and children were also told to leave the town shortly before the massacre.[5] The EHRC-OHCHR Tigray Investigation reported similar conclusions.[1]
Attacks
Reports on the attacks include two primary claims: that of local youth perpetrators loyal to the TPLF;[2][3][5] and that of Amhara militia perpetrators.[8][10] Later reports suggest that both groups may have been involved in a series of massacres.[6][21] According to the EHRC-OHCHR Tigray Investigation, on 9 November 2020, a local Tigrayan youth group (Samri), the local administration, police, and other militias allied with the TPLF killed hundreds of Amhara civilians in Mai Kadra, then Amhara militias killed at least five Tigrayans in retaliation after the ENDF and Amhara Special Forces (ASF) had captured the town.[1]
The killings started in the early afternoon of 9 November, at 11:00 in some areas,[3] and in others around 15:00, when a former militiaman who had refused to get involved as tensions mounted was killed by a former colleague and his body burned along with his house, according to survivors, including the militiaman's wife.[5][20] After this incident kebele youths, in groups of 20 to 30 each, accompanied by 3 or 4 members of the local police and militia, went house-to-house killing people who had already been identified as ethnic Amharas or other minorities, "beating them with batons/sticks, stabbing them with knives, machetes and hatchets and strangling them with ropes", as well as looting properties.[13] Because migrant workers were living up to 10 to 15 in a house, the death toll quickly escalated. Police and militiamen were posted at key street intersections, shooting anyone trying to escape the violence.[5] Some people managed to survive by hiding in rafters, pretending to be dead, or successfully evading security forces and fleeing into the rural hinterland. Nevertheless, some people were followed into the outlying areas and killed there as well. Many ethnic Tigrayan residents however gave shelter to their neighbors, by hiding them in their homes, in churches and on farms.[20] One woman first hid 13 people in her home, before leading them to a nearby farm, and another was struck by the youths with a machete while trying to separate them from a man who had been lit on fire.[5]
Fisseha Tekle was the Amnesty International researcher who first reported this massacre for Amnesty's preliminary report.[22][23] Amnesty interviewed witnesses who had provided food to the ENDF. The witnesses said that forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) were responsible, apparently after they had fought against ENDF forces. Three people told Amnesty International that survivors of the massacre told them that they were attacked by members of Tigray Special Police Force and other TPLF members.[2] According to witnesses interviewed by the EHRC, ethnic Amharas and local Wolkait people were the primary targets of the attack, but several members of other ethnic groups were also killed in the violence. Men were also specifically targeted over women and children, but many of them were physically injured and threatened with future attacks. The killings continued until the early hours of 10 November, when the perpetrators fled the town to avoid the advancing forces of the Ethiopian Army, which arrived late that morning.[5]
After Ethiopian forces and allied militias took control of the city on 10 November, Amhara militants and special forces began to attack Tigrayans in waves of revenge killings in the following days.[21]
A Tigrayan student interviewed by the Financial Times after fleeing to Sudan, Abrahaley Menasew, had a head wound that he attributed to Amhara militias attacking him in Mai Kadra. Abrahaley stated that his head had been hit by an axe, that his "neck and wrist were slashed with a machete . . . and he almost lost his hand." He stated that the militia members "discussed whether to kill [him] or take [him] with them" before attacking him and believing him to be dead. Abrahaley stated that his Amhara friends had informed the militias of his location because of his Tigrayan ethnicity.[8]
Twelve Tigrayan refugees interviewed by Associated Press stated that they had been attacked by both Amhara militias and the ENDF.[6]
Messah Geidi, a refugee from Mai Kadra, attributed the killings to the ENDF, stating, "the army slaughtered the young people like sheep".[24]
Casualties
According to Amnesty, "scores", likely hundreds, were killed. Local media reported at least 500 fatalities.[2] While the EHRC was unable to independently confirm death tolls, local funeral committees estimated at least 600 people had been killed, taking three days to be buried in mass graves, and that this number did not include people who had been killed in the outlying areas and had yet be buried. Victims were being treated in hospital as far away as Gonder. While most victims were men, several women had "suffered physical and mental injuries".[5] EHRCO estimated 1100 deaths based on its own observations and data collection during 3–11 December 2020 visit.[3] A special report by Reuters confirmed that at least 767 people were killed during the massacre.[25]
Aftermath
On 9 February 2021, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that the fighting in Ethiopia had prompted more than 60,000 people to flee into Sudan. 36% of the refugees were female, 31% were children, and 5% were elderly (over 60).[26] Amnesty International Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, urged the government to restore all communications to Tigray as an act of accountability and transparency for its military operations in the region and allow unfettered access to humanitarian organizations and human rights monitors.[2]
The Ethiopian government, which has repeatedly offered to shelter refugees internally, has suggested that reports from Sudan may be disinformation propagated by perpetrators posing as victims, similar to ethnic Hutus who fled the country following the Rwandan genocide, including the Interahamwe who perpetrated the genocide.[20][27][28] The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed claimed that the refugees in Sudan who shared their accounts of the conflict consisted of only young men with no women or children present, and suggested that the men could be the perpetrators of atrocities.[29] In early December 2020, the federal government refused to allow independent international investigations to be conducted by humans rights bodies, claiming that to assume that the government could not investigate the events was "belittling the government" and that Ethiopia didn't "need a babysitter".[30]
Investigations
OHCHR and EHRC
OHCHR and EHRC investigators concluded that on 9 November 2020, a local Tigrayan youth group (Samri), the local administration, police, and other militias allied with the TPLF killed hundreds of Amhara civilians in Mai Kadra with axes and machetes in house-to-house raids focused on neighborhoods where mostly Amhara farmhands lived. On 10 November 2020, as the ENDF and ASF approached the town, most members of Samri, local police, and militia responsible for the killings, as well as Tigrayans who feared retaliation, fled across the border to Sudan. Once the ENDF and ASF captured Mai Kadra, Amhara militias killed at least five Tigrayans who remained in that town in retaliation. As many of those killed were undocumented seasonal laborers, investigators found it difficult to ascertain the number of victims, but more than 200 civilians were confirmed to have been killed.[1]
EHRC and EHRCO
A group of investigators sent by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission visited Mai Kadra to investigate the mass killings[31] between 14 and 19 November 2020, as part of its investigations into human rights violations after reports of ethnic cleansing.[20] Its preliminary findings were released on 24 November.[5] The EHRC report found that a massacre of civilians did indeed take place on 9 November, by a Tigrayan youth group aided by the then local administration security forces. EHRC Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele said:
The unimaginably atrocious crimes committed against civilians for no reason other than their ethnicity is heartbreaking. Yet we are consoled by the stories of Ethiopians who saw beyond ethnic origin to come to the aid of their compatriots in their time of need. These stories keep the hope of a return to peaceful coexistence going. It is now an urgent priority that victims are provided redress and rehabilitation, and that perpetrators involved directly or indirectly at all levels are held to account before the law".[14] The EHRC stated that the evidence "strongly indicate[d] the commission of grave human rights violations which may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.[5]
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council visited Mai Kadra and the surrounding regions during 3–11 December 2020. It drew similar conclusions to those of the EHRC, but estimated the number of victims as 1100 and clarified that the term Samri referred to the neighborhood where most of the youths directly responsible for the massacre were from.[3]
Ethiopian Federal Police
In mid-December 2020, the Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) detained Enkuayehu Mesele in a refugee camp and Tesfaye Kebede, Abadit Abrha and three others in Addis Ababa, on suspicion of involvement in the massacre. A military officer, Amanuel Belete, accused Enkuayehu of being the leader of the massacre.[32] In late January, police spokesperson Zelalem Mengiste stated that police had investigated 117 burial sites and finalized investigations. The police issued 349 arrest warrants, among which 124 had been arrested. Agence de Presse Africaine reported Zelalem as stating that some of the suspects were defeated during the Tigray War.[33]
See also
Notes
- ^ In Ethiopia ID cards include one's ethnic identification.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (3 November 2021). "Report of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC)/Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Joint Investigation into Alleged Violations of International Human Rights, Humanitarian and Refugee Law Committed by all Parties to the Conflict in the Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia". Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Ethiopia: Investigation reveals evidence that scores of civilians were killed in massacre in Tigray state". Amnesty International. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "EHRCO Preliminary Investigation Report on Major Human Rights Violations in and around Maikadra" (PDF). Ethiopian Human Rights Council. 25 December 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ "Questions linger among the corpses of an Ethiopian massacre". France 24. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Rapid Investigation into Grave Human Rights Violation Maikadra - Preliminary Findings". Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. 24 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Abuelgasim, Fay; el-Mofty, Nariman; Anna, Cara (12 December 2020). "Shadowy Ethiopian massacre could be tip of the iceberg". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
It's possible that civilians from both ethnicities were targeted in Mai-Kadra, Amnesty now says.
- ^ a b c "Escape from massacre: Ethiopians recall Tigray conflict horror". Agence France-Presse (AFP). 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Schipani, Andres (4 December 2020). "Refugees flee Ethiopia's brutal war with tales of atrocities on both sides". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "Questions linger among the corpses of an Ethiopian massacre". France 24. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Steers, Julia (24 December 2020). "'He's Planning to Exterminate Us All': Ethiopians Speak of Ethnic Massacres". Vice. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: 'Civilians massacred', says Amnesty International". BBC World News. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Questions linger among the corpses of an Ethiopian massacre". France 24. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Giulia, Paravicini (12 November 2020). "Ethiopia claims big advance in Tigray, Amnesty reports mass killing". Reuters. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Maikadra massacre is a "crime of atrocity": Human Rights Commission". Addis Standard. 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ a b Gebremedhin, Desta (5 November 2020). "Tigray crisis: Why there are fears of civil war in Ethiopia". BBC World News. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Ethiopia's TPLF admits it started war with attempt to 'disarm' ENDF's Northern Command". Sudans Post. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ Reda, Getachew. "The World Must Condemn Human Rights Abuses in Tigray as It Does in Ukraine". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "Ethiopia: Protect People as Tigray Crisis Escalates". Human Rights Watch. 13 November 2020. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ Atit, Michael (9 November 2020). "Sudan Closes Ethiopia Border Until Tigray Tensions Subside". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Ethiopia commission says Tigray youth group killed 600 civilians in November 9 attack". Reuters. 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Ethiopia: 'We will erase you from this land': Crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia's Western Tigray Zone". Amnesty International. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "Hundreds Of Civilians Killed With Machetes And Axes In Ethiopian Town". NPR. 28 December 2020. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
Fisseha Tekle, the Amnesty International researcher who first reported this massacre.
- ^ "Amnesty International releases findings on Mai-Kadra massacre". Africanews. 25 November 2020. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Ethiopians recall horror of Tigray armed conflict". Taipei Times. 19 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Houreld, Katharine; Georgy, Michael; Aloisi, Silvia (7 June 2021). "How ethnic killings exploded from an Ethiopian town". Reuters. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ "Unhcr Sudan Ethiopia Situation - Daily New Arrivals Update". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "'We just ran': Ethiopians fleeing war find little relief". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Ethiopia State of Emergency Fact Check on Twitter". 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
We have received credible intelligence that TPLF operatives have infiltrated refugees fleeing into Sudan to carry out missions of disinformation. We caution media entities & international organizations to thoroughly investigate & verify information they receive.
- ^ "Dr. Abiy Ahmed addresses Ethiopian Parliament". Youtube Video Mark 2:20.
- ^ "Ethiopia rejects independent probes into Tigray conflict". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "Two missiles target Ethiopian airports as Tigray conflict widens". Reuters. 14 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Ethiopian police arrest two suspects of the Mai-Kadra massacre". Mereja. 29 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Rebel TPLF behind mass killings in Mai-Kadra town of Ethiopia – Report". Agence de Presse Africaine. 31 January 2021. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.