Hagere Selam massacres

{{Short description|Massacre in Hagere Selam, Southwestern Tigray as part of Tigray war}}

{{Infobox civilian attack

| date = 4-5 December 2020

| title = Hagere Selam massacre

| location = Hagere Selam ({{Langx |ti| ሃገረ ሰላም}}), Tigray Region, Ethiopia

| image = View on Hagere Selam from Imba Zuwala.jpg

| caption = Hagere Selam (Dogu’a Tembien)

| map = {{Location map|Tigray Region#Ethiopia|lat_deg = 13.64769 |lon_deg = 39.17265|label = Hagere Selam| border = none | float = center|caption = }}

| map_caption = Location of Hagere Selam in Tigray (Ethiopia)

| fatalities = 23 civilians

| target = Tigrayans

| type = {{plainlist|

Mass killing}}

| perps = {{flagicon|Ethiopia}} Ethiopian National Defence Force

{{flagicon|Eritrea}} Eritrean Defence Forces

}}

The Hagere Selam massacres were mass extrajudicial killings that took place in Hagere Selam in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 4 and 5 December 2020.Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349824181 Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation, Annex A]{{Self-published source|date=January 2022}}

Executions

In Hagere Selam, where Belgian physical geographer Jan Nyssen has a secondary residence, Nyssen reported extrajudicial killings of 60 civilians during 4–5 December 2020 by the ENDF and EDF. The EDF then looted Hagere Selam during two days, including Nyssen's house, from which his fridge, bed, clothes, plastic basins and other goods were stolen.{{cite web | last1 = Nyssen | first1 = Jan | author1link = Jan Nyssen | title = The situation in Tigray at the beginning of 2021 | website = ResearchGate | year = 2021 | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348296742 | access-date = 2021-01-14 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20210114003101/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348296742_The_situation_in_Tigray_at_the_beginning_of_2021 | archive-date = 2021-01-14 | url-status = live }}{{Self-published source|date=January 2022}}

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;Tigray Defence Forces, a military structure that came into existence during the Tigray War, consisting of a merger of Special Forces of the Tigray Regional Government, defected soldiers of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, local militia, members of Tigrayan political parties (TPLF, National Congress of Great Tigray, Salsay Weyane Tigray, Tigray Independence Party, ...) and numerous youth who fled to the mountains. and (4) terrorising the Tigray society as a whole such as in case of mass killings in churches.The World radio (2 April 2021): [https://www.pri.org/file/2021-04-02/counting-victims-tigray Counting the victims in Tigray]

According to Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA), the executions are interpreted as revenge for the EDF having lost a battle against Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces.{{cite web | title= Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 33 – 22 December | website= Europe External Programme with Africa |date = 2020-12-22 | url = https://www.eepa.be//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Situation-Report-EEPA-Horn-No.-33-22-December.pdf | access-date = 2021-01-14 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210112132859/https://www.eepa.be//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Situation-Report-EEPA-Horn-No.-33-22-December.pdf |archive-date= 2021-01-12 |url-status=live }}

File:Hs Aftermath 2, rotated.webm

Perpetrators

The inhabitants interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers.

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 23 victims, of which 21 have been identified.TGHAT, [https://www.tghat.com/victim-list/ A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources]{{Self-published source|date=January 2022}}

Reactions

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation”, that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly with regard its Annex A, that lists the massacres.EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: [https://www.euronews.com/2021/04/02/g7-seriously-concerned-about-human-rights-violations-in-ethiopia-s-tigray-region?jwsource=cl 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) [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-friday-edition-1.5974488 Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre]The Guardian, 2 April 2021: [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/02/ethiopia-1900-people-killed-in-massacres-in-tigray-identified Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified]

After months of denial by the Ethiopian authorities that massacres occurred in Tigray, a joint investigation by OHCHR and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has been announced in March 2021.France24, 18 March 2021: [https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210318-un-rights-chief-agrees-to-joint-tigray-probe UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe]

While the Ethiopian government promised that Eritrean troops will be pulled out from Tigray, the Eritrean government denies any participation in warfare in Tigray, leave alone in massacres.DW, 19 March 2021: [https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-are-other-nations-involved-in-the-war-in-tigray/a-56891431 Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray?]