Dedebit airstrike

On 7 January 2022 (Ethiopian Christmas), the Ethiopian Air Force carried out an airstrike on a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in the town of Dedebit, in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.[1][2][3] According to aid workers and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), between 56 and 59 people were killed and at least 30 others were injured.[4][5] Most of the victims were reported to have been hiding in a camp set up inside a school at the time of the attack.[6] Investigators have described the attack as a war crime,[7][8] and it would be the deadliest airstrike of the Tigray War until the Adi Daero school airstrike in October that same year.[9]

Dedebit airstrike
Part of the Tigray War
Dedebit is located in Tigray Region
Dedebit
Dedebit
Location of Dedebit in Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Dedebit is located in Ethiopia
Dedebit
Dedebit
Dedebit (Ethiopia)
LocationDedebit, Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Coordinates14°06′N 37°56′E
Date7 January 2022 (UTC+3)
Attack type
Deaths56–59
Injured30–42+
Perpetrators Ethiopian Air Force

Background

Tigray War
Main article: Tigray War
Further information: TDF–OLA joint offensive, ENDF National Unity Offensive, and 2021–2022 Ethiopian state of emergency

The Tigray War began in early November 2020, with the Ethiopian federal government, Eritrea and the Amhara Region on one side, and the TPLF on the other.[10]

Following a failed attempt to advance on Addis Ababa, the TPLF withdrew their forces from the Amhara and Afar Regions on 20 December 2021.[11][12] The 7 January airstrike took place in an interim period between the withdrawal of troops in December, and the beginning of a ceasefire on 24 March 2022.[13]

In response to the Tigrayan withdrawal, the federal government made reassurances that the ENDF would not advance further into Tigray than they already had, as, according to Government Communication Service minister Legesse Tulu, "the [TPLF]’s desire and ability [to engage in war] is severely destroyed."[14] The federal government publicly expressed a desire for peace, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stating he was looking for an "all-inclusive national dialogue."[15] On 7 January, before the airstrike occurred, Ethiopia released a number of political prisoners, some of them being from the TPLF.[16]

Mass displacement
Further information: War crimes in the Tigray War § Ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans in the Western Zone

In the aftermath of the Mai Kadra massacre, Tigrayan civilians became the target of systemic, coordinated reprisals by Ethiopian, Amhara and Eritrean forces.[17][18] By the end of November 2020, Amhara regional forces took control of Tigray's Western Zone,[19] and proceeded to commit human rights violations against the civilian population, including the forced expulsion of roughly 1.2 million people from the area by December 2021.[20]

On 24 November 2021, 3,463 displaced persons were officially recorded as being in Dedebit. On 15 December, around 29,000 people displaced from the Western Zone went to North Western Tigray, of which 4,000 had arrived to Dedebit.[21][7]

Airstrike

Between 7–14 January, the Ethiopian Air Force (EAF) launched a campaign of airstrikes and bombardments on Tigrayan settlements, which left 108 people dead and 75 injured overall.[22][23]

The deadliest of these airstrikes was launched at Dedebit Elementary School (which was being used as a makeshift IDP camp) on 7 January, killing 56–59 people, and injuring between 30–42 others.[4][5][7] An anonymous aid worker told Reuters that the attack happened late at night.[2] According to Human Rights Watch, the airstrike was carried out by a drone, which dropped three guided bombs onto the camp. They also found no evidence of Dedebit being used for military purposes.[7]

Later investigations revealed that the Ethiopian military may have bought the drone from Turkey, as the one used in the attack was a Baykar Bayraktar TB2 that used MAM-L bombs.[5][24][25]

Aftermath

Due to security concerns created by the airstrike, humanitarian aid agencies suspended their operations in the area surrounding the town on 9 January 2022.[26] For similar reasons, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated in 20 January that 5,000 IDPs from Dedebit were relocated to Selekleka.[27]

It was reported that those killed by the attacks were later buried in a mass grave.[7]

Reactions

TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda condemned the strike, calling it "Another callous drone attack by Abiy Ahmed",[2] and expressed skepticism towards the prime minister's calls for peace.[22] The Ethiopian government did not comment on the airstrike.[28]

In the aftermath of the 7–14 January airstrike campaign, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "heartbroken by the suffering of the Ethiopian people," and urged for a ceasefire. OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell also condemned the campaign, and drew particular attention to the bombing of Dedebit. She further stated that "Failure to respect the principles of distinction and proportionality could amount to war crimes".[28]

Investigations

On 24 March 2022, Human Rights Watch requested the Ethiopian government to investigate the airstrike, describing it as a war crime.[6] UN investigators came to a similar conclusion in September 2022, stating that they had "reasonable grounds to believe that the Ethiopian Air Force committed war crimes," among them being the airstrike on Dedebit.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Ethiopia: At least 56 killed in Tigray air strike on camp for internally displaced, aid workers say". Sky News. 8 January 2022.
  2. "Aid workers say Ethiopia air strike in northwest Tigray killed 56 people". Reuters. 8 January 2022.
  3. "Dozens killed in Ethiopian air strike on IDP camp in Tigray". Al Jazeera. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  4. "Aid workers say Ethiopia air strike in northwest Tigray killed 56 people". Reuters. 10 January 2022. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.
  5. Bearak, Max; Kelly, Meg; Lee, Joyce Sohyun (7 February 2022). "How Ethiopia used a Turkish drone in a strike that killed nearly 60 civilians". The Washington Post. With a flash in the dark, the building and the grounds around it were struck by drone-delivered bombs, killing at least 59 people and gravely injuring dozens more…
  6. AfricaNews (24 March 2022). "Human Rights Watch calls on Ethiopia to probe possible "war crime"". Africanews. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  7. "Ethiopia: Airstrike on Camp for Displaced Likely War Crime". Human Rights Watch. 24 March 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023.
  8. "International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia United Nations Human Rights Council -51st Session". OHCHR. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  9. "More than 50 killed in northern Ethiopia air strike -aid workers and Tigray forces". Reuters. 5 October 2022. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. The deadliest previous air strike of the war occurred in January, when 59 people were killed at a displaced persons camp in the northwestern town of Dedebit...
  10. "UN: Warring sides committing atrocities in Ethiopia's Tigray". Al Jazeera. 19 September 2022. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022.
  11. "Tigrayan forces announce retreat to Ethiopia's Tigray region". Al Jazeera. 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022. 'We decided to withdraw from these areas to Tigray. We want to open the door to humanitarian aid,' Getachew said.
  12. "Tigray forces withdraw from neighbouring Ethiopian regions -spokesman". Reuters. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  13. Tadesse, Fasika; Marks, Simon (24 March 2022). "Ethiopia Declares Unilateral Truce in War-Ravaged Tigray". Bloomberg News.
  14. "Ethiopia says its army will not advance further into Tigray". AP News. 23 December 2021.
  15. "Ethiopia announces amnesty for prominent opposition figures". France 24. 7 January 2022.
  16. Endeshaw, Dawit (8 January 2022). "Ethiopia frees opposition leaders from prison, announces political dialogue". Reuters. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  17. "'We will erase you from this land': Crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia's Western Tigray Zone". Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. AFR 25/5444/2022. 6 April 2022. ISBN 9781623139759. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023.
  18. Houreld, Katherine; Georgy, Michael; Aloisi, Silvia (7 June 2021). "How ethnic killings exploded from an Ethiopian town". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023.
  19. Kirby, Jen (24 April 2021). ""Dying by blood or by hunger": The war in Ethiopia's Tigray region, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022.
  20. "Ethiopia - Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 2 Dec 2021". Reliefweb. OCHA. 2 December 2021.
  21. "Ethiopia Emergency Situation Regional Update #26 - 15 December 2021". Operational Data Portal. UNHCR. 23 December 2021.
  22. York, Geoffrey (14 January 2022). "Ethiopian air strikes kill 108 civilians in Tigray region, UN says". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.
  23. "Ethiopia wants WHO to investigate Tedros over Tigray remarks". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  24. "Tigray conflict: What do we know about drone strikes in Ethiopia?". BBC News. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  25. "Evidence from civilian bombing in Ethiopia points to Turkish drone". POLITICO. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  26. "Aid agencies suspend work in part of Tigray after airstrike". DW. AFP, Reuters. 10 January 2022.
  27. "Ethiopia - Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 20 January 2022". Reliefweb. OCHA. 20 January 2022.
  28. Farge, Emma (14 January 2022). Maclean, William; Lewis, Matthew (eds.). "UN rights office decries Ethiopia air strikes, says 108 killed this month". Reuters. Additional reporting by Dawit Endeshaw, George Obulutsa and Michelle Nichols. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023.
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