Mahibere Degue
{{Short description|Town in Tigray Region, Ethiopia}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name = Mahibere Degue
| native_name = ማሕበረ ደጎ
| other_name = Mahbere Dego
| settlement_type = Town
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| pushpin_map = Tigray Region#Ethiopia
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| coordinates = {{coord|14.02728|N|38.78002|E|region:ET|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Ethiopia
| subdivision_type1 = Region
| subdivision_type2 = Zone
| subdivision_type3 = Woreda
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| subdivision_name1 = Tigray
| subdivision_name2 = Mehakelegnaw (Central)
| subdivision_name3 = Na’ider
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Mahibere Degue ({{Langx |ti| ማሕበረ ደጎ}}), also transliterated as Mahbere Dego is a historical town in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is located 12.5 km south of the city of Axum. The town is known for its church, Enda Tsadkan ("Home of the Saints"), which is a popular tourist attraction.
Residents of the town engage in trade and agricultural activities in the surrounding villages. Siwa, a tasty local drink, is a favourite, and is a popular commodity.
The Mahbere Dego massacre
The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) killed dozens of civilians in Mahbere Dego in January 2021.CNN, 2 April 2021: [https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/01/africa/tigray-mahibere-dego-massacre-video-cmd-intl/index.html 'Two bullets is enough' - Analysis of Tigray massacre video raises questions for Ethiopian Army] The massacres occurred in a similar way as so many massacres in the Tigray War. The ENDF targeted civilians, especially male, in this case merchants, farmers, often brothers or father and son. They filmed the killings, and, exceptionally, a whistleblower transmitted the videos to [https://tmhtv.org/en/about-us/ Tigrai Media House].
Dozens of unarmed civilian men were grouped in the wilderness outside of the town, driven to a cliff edge and executed by the Ethiopian soldiers. Thanks to the particular geomorphology of the surroundings, the imagery could be geolocated.Bellingcat, 1 April 2021: [https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2021/04/01/mahbere-dego-clues-to-a-clifftop-massacre-in-ethiopia/ Mahbere Dego: Clues to a Clifftop Massacre in Ethiopia]Citizen Evidence Lab, 9 April 2021: [https://citizenevidence.org/2021/04/09/geolocation-mahibere-dego/ How to Crack Complex Geolocation Challenges: A Case Study of the Mahibere Dego Massacre]
After factchecking the footage of the massacres was published by CNN and BBC.BBC, 1 April 2021: [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56603022 Evidence suggests Ethiopian military carried out massacre in Tigray]
On 27 June CNN published more video material they received from Tigrai Media House, identifying one of the filming soldiers as "Fafi" and naming his brigade and division. In the extended video Fafi himself is seen taking part in the executions.{{cite news|last1=Mezzofiore|first1=Gianluca|last2=Polglase|first2=Katie|last3=Elbagir|first3=Nima|last4=Arvanitidis|first4=Barbara|title=New video of Ethiopia massacre shows soldiers passing phone around to document their executions of unarmed men|date=27 June 2021|publisher=CNN|work=cnn.com|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/27/africa/ethiopia-massacre-tigray-mahibere-dego-cmd-intl/index.html|accessdate=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627041918/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/27/africa/ethiopia-massacre-tigray-mahibere-dego-cmd-intl/index.html|archive-date=27 June 2021}}