Begasheka Tsion massacre

Begasheka Tsion massacre
	Part of Tigray War
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Target	Tigrayans
Attack type	Mass killing; Ethnic cleansing;
Deaths	92 civilians
Perpetrators	Ethiopian National Defence Force ; Eritrean Defence Forces

Coordinates: 13°37′24″N 38°53′37″E / 13.623240°N 38.893647°E / 13.623240; 38.893647

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The Begasheka Tsion massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Begasheka (Tigrinya: በጋሸካ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 6 December 2020.^[1] Datsion is a village that belongs to tabiya Begasheka, woreda Kola Tembien, Central zone of Tigray.

Massacre[edit]

The Ethiopian National Defense Force and Eritrean Defence Forces killed 92 civilians in Begasheka (Central Tigray) on 6 December 2020,^[1] a community renowned for participatory soil and water conservation activities.^[2] In line with historical studies of massacres, including those committed during the Armenian genocide,^[3]^[4] 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;^[5] and (4) terrorising the Tigray society as a whole such as in case of mass killings in churches.^[6]^{[original research?]} The Begasheka Tsion massacre combiles all of these properties.^{[original research?]}

Perpetrators[edit]

A relative interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers.^[7]

Victims[edit]

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 92 victims,^[1] of which three have been identified:^[7]

Berhe Gessesew (40)
Haleqa Teklebrhan Gebremariam (31)
Priest Gebremariam (71)

Reactions[edit]

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation”,^[1] that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly with regard its Annex A, that lists the massacres.^[6]^[8]^[9]^[10]

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.^[11]

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.^[12]

References[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
↑ Ermias Aynekulu et al., 2017. Monitoring and Evaluating Land Use/ Land Cover Change Using Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) Tools: A Case Study of Begasheka Watershed, Tigray, Ethiopia
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
↑ EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region
↑ CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre
↑ The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified
↑ 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 #Datsion
World Peace Foundation: Starving Tigray
Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
TGHAT: A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources

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[atlas-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation

[2] Ermias Aynekulu et al., 2017. Monitoring and Evaluating Land Use/ Land Cover Change Using Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) Tools: A Case Study of Begasheka Watershed, Tigray, Ethiopia

[3] 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

[4] 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.

[5] 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.

[world-6] 6.0 ^6.1 The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray

[tghat-7] 7.0 ^7.1 TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources

[8] EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region

[9] CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre

[10] The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified

[11] France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe

[12] DW, 19 March 2021: Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray?

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