December 2020 Gijet massacre

Coordinates: 13°19′34″N 39°10′26″E / 13.32607°N 39.17393°E

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Gijet massacre
Part of Tigray War
Gijet Show map of Tigray Region Gijet Show map of Ethiopia Location of Gijet in Tigray (Ethiopia)
Location	Gijet (Tigrinya: ጊጀት), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date	30 December 2020
Target	Tigrayans
Attack type	Mass killing Shelling
Deaths	21 civilians
Perpetrators	Ethiopian National Defence Force

The December 2020 Gijet massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Gijet (Tigrinya: ጊጀት) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 30 December 2020.^[1] Gijet is the central town of woreda Saharti, southeastern zone of Tigray.

Massacre

The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) killed 21 youngsters, including a seven-year-old child in Gijet (SE Tigray) on 30 December 2020.^[1]^[2]

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.^[3]

Perpetrators

Dimtsi Woyane reported the perpetrators of this massacre as being the Ethiopian army.^[2]

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 21 victims of this massacre.^[1]

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]^[6]

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.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation^{[self-published source]}
^ ^a ^b Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 42 - 31 December 2020
^ ^a ^b The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray^{[permanent dead link]}
^ 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
^ France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe

External links

World Peace Foundation: Starving Tigray

Tigray war

Background

History	History of Western Tigray Welkait question 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia Eritrean–Ethiopian War border conflict Elections in Ethiopia 2005 election / violence 2014–16 Oromo protests 2016–18 state of emergency Resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn
Prelude	Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present) 2018 Eritrea–Ethiopia summit Tripartite Agreement Formation of the Prosperity Party COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia Hachalu Hundessa riots 2020 Tigray regional election

Timeline

Impact

Peace process

Groups

Key actors

Institutions

Militias

Fano
UFEFCF

Human rights
organisations

Non-state	EHRCO ERCS HRCE Seb Hidri Yikono

Human rights

Casualties

Casualties of the Tigray war

Discrimination

War crimes

Massacres

2020	Mai Kadra Humera Adigrat Zalambessa Dengelat 1st Wukro Hitsats 1st Mekelle Axum Goda Hagere Selam Ziban Gedena Gijet
2021	Bora Debano Mahbere Dego 2nd Wukro Kola Tembien Zamr Gira Aras Guh Togoga Galikoma Chenna Kobo 2nd Mekelle Kombolcha
2022	Dedebit Berhale 3rd Mekelle Adi Daero