| Axum massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Tigray War | |
  Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion  Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion Location of the massacre | |
| Location | Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, Axum, Tigray Region, Ethiopia |
| Date | 28 November and 15 December or 17–20 December 2020 |
| Target | Tigrayans |
Attack type | |
| Deaths | minimum extrajudicial killings |
| Perpetrators |  Eritrean Defence Forces[a] |
The Axum massacre (alternatively spelled Aksum, also called the Maryam Ts'iyon massacre) was a massacre of about 100–800 civilians that took place in Axum during the Tigray War.[4] The main part of the massacre occurred on the afternoon and evening of 28 November 2020, continuing on 29 November, with smaller numbers of extrajudicial killings taking place earlier, starting from 19 November and during the weeks following the 28–29 November weekend.[2][5] The massacre was attributed to the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) by Amnesty International,[2] Associated Press,[3] the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC),[6] Human Rights Watch (HRW)[1] and Adigrat University lecturer Getu Mak.[7]
The main massacre consisted of killings by shooting by the EDF throughout Axum.[2][6] The bodies were brought to churches, including the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion (Maryam Ts'iyon), for burial. Killings are also alleged to have previously taken place within the church. Due to a tight communication blockade, news of the massacre was only revealed internationally in early January 2021 after survivors escaped to safe locations.[8][2] The EHRC visited Axum from 27 February to 5 March 2021.[6]
- ^ a b "Ethiopia: Eritrean Forces Massacre Tigray Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 5 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "The massacre in Axum". Amnesty International. 26 February 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ a b Anna, Cara (18 February 2021). "'Horrible': Witnesses recall massacre in Ethiopian holy city". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ "A bid 'to exterminate us': Tigrayans recount massacre by Eritrean troops". Radio France Internationale. AFP. 3 March 2021.
- ^ Malagardis, Maria (11 February 2021). "Ethiopie : 'A Aksoum, j'ai aidé à transporter plus de 300 morts'" [Ethiopia: 'In Axum, I helped transport more than 300 dead bodies']. Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ a b c "Investigation into Grave Human Rights Violations in Aksum - Preliminary Findings". Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. 24 March 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Tghat_what_happened_Aksumwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Plaut, Martin (11 January 2021). "Massacre at Tigray's Mariam of Zion cathedral in Aksum". Eritrea Hub. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).