Gira Aras massacre

The Gira Aras massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Gira Aras (Tigrinya: ግራዓረስ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, around 22 April 2021.[1] Gira Aras is a village that belongs to woreda Hawzen, Eastern zone of Tigray.

Gira Aras massacre
Part of Tigray War
Gira Aras is located in Tigray Region
Gira Aras
Gira Aras
Gira Aras is located in Ethiopia
Gira Aras
Gira Aras
Location of Gira Aras in Tigray (Ethiopia)
LocationGira Aras (Tigrinya: ግራዓረስ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date22 April 2021
TargetTigrayans
Attack type
Deaths12 civilians
PerpetratorsEthiopia Ethiopian National Defence Force

Massacre

The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) killed twelve civilians in Gira Aras (Eastern Tigray) on 22 April 2021.[1]

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.

Perpetrators

Witnesses reported the perpetrators of this massacre as being Ethiopian soldiers.[2]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions twelve victims of this massacre,[1] eleven of whom have been identified.[2]

Reactions

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation”,[1] that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly regarding its Annex A, that lists massacres in the Tigray War.[3][4][5]

After months of denial by the Ethiopian authorities that massacres occurred in Tigray, a joint investigation by OHCHR and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission was announced in March 2021.[6]

References
  1. Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
  2. TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
  3. EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region
  4. CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre
  5. The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified
  6. France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe

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