Military War Crimes
Four civilians have dragged off a bus and executed by Ethiopian soldiers in the Tigray region on Tuesday. Three Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders staff were present during the incident. This event is part of the ongoing Tigray War in northern Ethiopia
Two public transport mini-buses were following one “clearly marked” MSF vehicle according to the organization. The vehicles were driving north from the regional capital of Mekele to Adigrat when they were ambushed by an Ethiopian military convoy.
Witnesses reported that when the buses were stopped, passengers were forced to exit and men and women were separated. Women were allowed to walk away, but the men were shot. Although the MSF staff were allowed to leave, they saw the dead bodies of the executed men on the side of the road. As the MSF car continued to Adigrat they were again stopped by Ethiopian soldiers who pulled out and beat the driver with the back of a gun. The driver was allowed to return to the car and the MSF staff were allowed to return to Mekele.
MSF Head of Emergency Desk, Karline Kleijer, said “This horrific event further underscores the need for the protection of civilians during this ongoing conflict, and for armed groups to respect the delivery of humanitarian assistance, including medical aid. Our teams are still reeling from witnessing the senseless loss of lives from the latest attack.”
“We are horrified by the continued violence in #Tigray , #Ethiopia. This includes the extrajudicial killings of at least 4 men who were dragged off public buses & executed by soldiers, while our staff members were present, on Tuesday 23 March "
Read: https://t.co/q7uA1FIZNf pic.twitter.com/NM5G7cS7Le
— MSF East Africa (@MSF_EastAfrica) March 24, 2021
In November 2020 raising tensions between the Ethiopian government and the northern Tigray region erupted when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) defied federal forces and proceeded with their regional elections. This exacerbated growing tensions over control in the region. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed deployed Ethiopian forces to regain control of Tigray, which initiated the ongoing Tigray War and fighting between the two parties. Although federal forces are in control of Tigray’s capital of Mekele, TPLF has stated that they will continue fighting to regain control.
For decades the TPLF had been the dominant party in the region. The Tigrayans are an ethnic minority in the north of the country that makes up about 6% of Ethiopia’s population.
Tigray borders the country of Eritrea, which won independence from Ethiopia in 1991. Soldiers from the neighboring country of Eritrea are thought to have entered Tigray, and on Wednesday the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission claimed that Eritrean soldiers killed more than 100 citizens during the conflict in November. This comes after months of denial from both Ethiopia and Eritrea that the neighboring country had been involved in this conflict. Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his peace treaty with Eritrea after decades of conflict between the countries. Eritrea is likely backing the Ethiopian soldiers.
In January 2021 the TPLF’s party registration was terminated by the National Election Board of Ethiopia over the 2020 conflict. The conflict between the two groups threatens civil war in Ethiopia, a potential humanitarian crisis, and destabilization in East Africa.
AK Wilson – is a freelance journalist based out of the United States
