Dansha massacre
Coordinates: 13°33′51″N 36°58′22″E / 13.56412°N 36.97289°E
| Dansha massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Tigray War | |
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| Date | Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Target | Tigrayans |
Attack type | |
| Deaths | 21 civilians;[1] 25 according to EHRC[2] |
| Perpetrators |  Fanno militia |
The Dansha massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing spree that took place in Dansha (Tigrinya: ዳንሽሃ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, from 5–19 November 2020.[3] Dansha is a town in the Western zone of Tigray.
Massacre[edit]
The Fanno militia killed 21 civilians in Dansha (Western Tigray) between 5–19 November 2020.[1] The killing spree started on 5 November and aimed especially at Tigrayan seasonal farm labourers and petty traders. It reached its paroxysm on 19 November, when 6 people were killed.[3] The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) puts the number of civilian victims at 25.[2] Victims were often stabbed by knife or hacked to death with machetes.[1] 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;[6] and (4) terrorising the Tigray society as a whole such as in case of mass killings in churches.[7] If the Dansha massacre may partly hold all these elements, ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans may be the main driver of the massacre. The government-affiliated EHRC candidly quotes the new interim coordinator of Dansha: “Tigrayans live peacefully in the area, but those residents who felt at risk were provided with transportation to their chosen destinations”.[2]
Perpetrators[edit]
Relatives and witnesses interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Amharic Fanno militia.[1]
Victims[edit]
The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 6 victims (for 19 November only),[3], EHRC mentions 25 of them for the whole period of the killing spree. 21 have been identified:[1]
- Abraha Aregawi (55)
- Abraha Manjus (55)
- Berhe Kahsay (Berhe Shikor) (75)
- Biniam Gebregiorgis (27)
- Desalegn (30)
- Gebrehiwet Asmelash (55)
- Gebremichael Weldegebriel (40)
- Gebretinsae Weldemichael Gebrekidan (72)
- Guush Abay (Guush Kentiba) (38)
- Hadush Gebrehiwet (66)
- Haile Gebremariam (Atsrega) (67)
- Haileselassie (Deacon) (45)
- Kahase Gebreselassie (70)
- Redae Gebrehiwet (Keshat) (40)
- Samrawit (14)
- Tekleweini Oqubay (38)
- Tesfay Berhe (55)
- Tewelde (45)
- Wedi Hadera (28)
- Weldegebriel (32)
- Yibeyin Negasi (28)
Reactions[edit]
The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation”,[3] that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly with regard its Annex A, that lists the massacres.[7][8][9][10]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ethiopian Human Rights Commission: Brief Monitoring Report on the Situation of Civilians in Humera, Dansha and Bissober
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
- ↑ 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
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- ↑ 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, consisted 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.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
- ↑ 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
External links[edit]
- Twitter: author @tvbempt; hashtags #NeverForget #SayTheirNames #Dansha
- 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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