Late December 2020 Hawzen massacre
Coordinates: 13°58′47″N 39°25′46″E / 13.97967°N 39.42942°E
| Late December 2020 Hawzen 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 | 8[1] up to 70 civilians[2] |
| Perpetrators |  Eritrean Defence Forces |
The Late December 2020 Hawzen massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Hawzen (Tigrinya: ሓውዜን) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, around 23 December 2020.[1] Hawzen is the capital of the woreda with the same name, in the Eastern zone of Tigray.
Massacre[edit]
The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) carried out a massacre of civilians in Hawzen (Eastern Tigray) around 23 December 2020. According to sources, eight[1] up to seventy people were massacred.[2] People were killed for having photos of Tigrayan leaders, and the photos were set on fire. People were heartbroken and surprised to see the Eritreans doing that because there is a connection, they share the same language and history. Residents tried to survive as food supplies dwindled. Electricity for grinding grains was gone, and medical supplies ran out. People are starving to death. Residents consider the condition worse than in the 1980s. Then, there wasn't house-to-house looting of civilians, weaponizing hunger, the merciless killing.[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] The late December 2020 Hawzien massacre comprised all of that.
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Perpetrators[edit]
Local residents interpreted the identity of the perpetrators. Some atrocities were carried out by Ethiopian forces and special forces from the neighboring Amhara region, but mostly by Eritreans who could be recognised by markings on their cheeks and their pronunciation of the shared Tigrinya language.[2]
Victims[edit]
The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions eight victims,[1] the Associated Press up to seventy civilian victims,[2] of which five have been identified.[7] All identified victims are above seventy years in age!
- Birhane Gebereselase
- Gebreegziabher Geberemichael
- Gebrekidane Gidey
- Priest Gebreegziabher Melese
- Weldemichael Welday
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] An article by the Associated Press, specifically addressed the late Decembre 2020 massacres in Hawzen.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Associated Press, 26 January 2021: Witnesses: Eritrean soldiers loot, kill in Ethiopia’s Tigray
- ↑ 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, 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
- ↑ 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
External links[edit]
- Twitter: author @tvbempt; hashtags #NeverForget #SayTheirNames #Hawzen
- World Peace Foundation: Starving Tigray
- Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
- TGHAT: A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
See also[edit]
- Hawzen massacre (1988)
- November 2020 Hawzen massacre
- Early December 2020 Hawzen massacre
- January 2021 Hawzen massacre
- February 2021 Hawzen massacre
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