Awulo massacre

Awulo massacre
	Part of Tigray War
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Target	Tigrayans
Attack type	Mass killing; Ethnic cleansing;
Deaths	24 civilians
Perpetrators	Ethiopian National Defence Force ; Eritrean Defence Forces

Coordinates: 13°35′58″N 39°11′19″E / 13.59951°N 39.18857°E / 13.59951; 39.18857

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The Awulo massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Awulo (Tigrinya: ኣዉሎ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 3 March 2021.^[1]^[2] Awulo is a village that belongs to qushet Selam Seret, tabiya Mika'el Abiy, woreda Dogu’a Tembien, Southwestern zone of Tigray.

Massacre[edit]

The Eritrean Defence Forces, and according to some witnesses, also the Ethiopian National Defense Force killed 24 civilians in Awulo (Southwestern Tigray) on 3 March 2021. Jan Nyssen, who long lived in the area, reported:^[1]

The soldiers could drive up to the school and started searching for the TPLF leaders and/or TDF fighters,^[3] while engaging in the difficult terrain downslope from the village. There are many limestone cliffs and other slopes of over 50% steep, and the Ch’elaqo bushlands are full of thorny shrubs such as Pterolobium stellatum with recurved thorns in which one may get trapped. When the Eritrean soldiers finally came back to the village, without finding the people they were looking for, they started a killing spree in the village. Twenty-four people were shot dead and numerous others were wounded. A witness said: “as they couldn't find the TDF fighters in the wildlands, they had to kill civilians as a revenge for their tiredness”.

In line with historical studies of massacres, including those committed during the Armenian genocide,^[4]^[5] a massacre can be defined as a conflict incident in which at least five unarmed civilians were killed on the same day at the same location. 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.^[6]

Perpetrators[edit]

Relatives and witnesses contacted by the TGHAT online media interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers,^[2] whereas Nyssen^[1] mentions only Eritrean soldiers.

Victims[edit]

Nyssen^[1] mentions 24 victims, of which 23 have been identified:^[2]

Bahre Kinfe (18)
Bekuretsion Kinfu (62)
Priest Fisseha Gidey (40)
Gebreegziabher Gebrekirstos (55)
Priest Gebregiogis Weldehaweriat
Gebrehaweria Mawcha (31)
Gebremariam Tesfamichael (53)
Priest Gebremedhin Gebremeskel (40)
Gebremedhin Kahsay (51)
Priest Gebremeskel Mesfin (42)
Gebremichael Gebreyohannes (40)
Gebreselassie Gedamu (31) (deacon)
Gebretatiyos Mengistu (39)
Priest Gebretinsae Gebrekirstos (52)
Haftu Gebrehiwet Tessema
Hailegiorgis Sindu (38)
Kibrom Bahre (20)
Kibrom Gebremehin (21)
Kiros Gebrekidan (75)
Sindu Teka (40)
Welday Bekuretsion (32)
Priest Welday Tsadik Kahsay
Welday Kalayu (32)

Reactions[edit]

After months of denial by the Ethiopian authorities that massacres occurred in Tigray, a joint investigation by OHCHR and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has been 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, leave alone in massacres.^[8]

References[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Jan Nyssen, 23 April 2021, Blog: Tigray Human right and humanitarian situation: Humanitarian situation in Tigray (23 April 2021)
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
↑ Tigray Defence Forces, a military structure that came into existence during the Tigray War, consisting of a merger of Special Forces of the Tigray Regional Government, defected soldiers of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, local militia, members of Tigrayan political parties (TPLF, National Congress of Great Tigray, Salsay Weyane Tigray, Tigray Independence Party, ...) and numerous youth who fled to the mountains.
↑ Levene, Mark; Roberts, Penny (January 1, 1999). The Massacre in History. Berghahn Books. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-57181-934-5. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help) Search this book on
↑ Melson, Robert (July 1982). "Theoretical Inquiry into the Armenian Massacres of 1894–1896". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 24 (3): 482–3. doi:10.1017/s0010417500010100.
↑ The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
↑ France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe
↑ DW, 19 March 2021: Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray?

External links[edit]

Twitter: author @tvbempt; hashtags #NeverForget #SayTheirNames #Michael or #Selam
World Peace Foundation: Starving Tigray
Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
TGHAT: A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources (Search for: Degua Tembien District, Michael)

This article "Awulo massacre" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Awulo massacre. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

[nyssenawulo-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Jan Nyssen, 23 April 2021, Blog: Tigray Human right and humanitarian situation: Humanitarian situation in Tigray (23 April 2021)

[tghat-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources

[3] Tigray Defence Forces, a military structure that came into existence during the Tigray War, consisting of a merger of Special Forces of the Tigray Regional Government, defected soldiers of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, local militia, members of Tigrayan political parties (TPLF, National Congress of Great Tigray, Salsay Weyane Tigray, Tigray Independence Party, ...) and numerous youth who fled to the mountains.

[4] Levene, Mark; Roberts, Penny (January 1, 1999). The Massacre in History. Berghahn Books. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-57181-934-5. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help) Search this book on

[5] Melson, Robert (July 1982). "Theoretical Inquiry into the Armenian Massacres of 1894–1896". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 24 (3): 482–3. doi:10.1017/s0010417500010100.

[world-6] The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray

[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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