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Ethiopian troops 'executed' aid workers in Tigray conflict, MSF official says Ethiopia's Tigray war: Three aid workers were 'executed' during conflict, MSF official says
(about 4 hours later)
The three were said to be professional and passionate about their jobsThe three were said to be professional and passionate about their jobs
Ethiopian government forces "executed" three employees of medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) while they were on a humanitarian mission in Ethiopia's war-hit northern Tigray region four years ago, a senior MSF official has told the BBC. An investigation by medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) into the "execution" of three of its workers during a humanitarian mission in Ethiopia's war-hit northern Tigray region has found evidence that the country's army was responsible for the killings four years ago.
Raquel Ayora's comments came as MSF released its findings into what it called the "intentional and targeted" killing of the three - a Spanish national and two Ethiopians - at the height of the now-ended Tigray conflict. MSF's report includes claims that Ethiopian troops were present at the scene of the killing of the three - a Spanish national and two Ethiopians.
"They were executed," said Ms Ayora, MSF Spain's general director. "They were facing their attackers [and] were shot at very close range... several times." "They were executed," MSF Spain's general director Raquel Ayora told the BBC. "They were facing their attackers [and] were shot at very close range... several times."
The BBC has asked the Ethiopian government for a response to the allegation.The BBC has asked the Ethiopian government for a response to the allegation.
MSF said it was releasing its findings as the government had failed to provide a "credible account" of the deaths despite 20 face-to-face meetings over the last four years. MSF said it was releasing the findings of its report into the incident as the government had failed to provide a "credible account" of the deaths despite 20 face-to-face meetings over the last four years.
Thirty-five-year-old Spaniard María Hernández Matas, along with 32-year-old Yohannes Halefom Reda and 31-year-old Tedros Gebremariam, were killed on 24 June 2021 while travelling in central Tigray to assess medical needs.Thirty-five-year-old Spaniard María Hernández Matas, along with 32-year-old Yohannes Halefom Reda and 31-year-old Tedros Gebremariam, were killed on 24 June 2021 while travelling in central Tigray to assess medical needs.
"They were very professional and passionate," Ms Ayora told the BBC."They were very professional and passionate," Ms Ayora told the BBC.
She added that the three were fully identifiable in MSF vests and their vehicle had the charity's flag and logos on either side when they were shot.She added that the three were fully identifiable in MSF vests and their vehicle had the charity's flag and logos on either side when they were shot.
"So, they [Ethiopian troops] knew that they were killing humanitarian aid workers," she said, adding that the team's travel route had also been shared in advance with fighting groups. "So, they knew that they were killing humanitarian aid workers," she said.
The Tigray conflict broke out in 2020 following a massive fall-out between the regional and federal governments, with neighbouring Eritrea entering the war on the side of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF).
The conflict ended two years later following a peace deal brokered by the African Union (AU). Its envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, put the number of people who died in the conflict at around 600,000.
Researchers said the deaths were caused by fighting, starvation and a lack of health care.
The killings took place at a time when the conflict was intensifying, and Ethiopian and Eritrean troops were becoming increasingly hostile towards aid workers in the region, MSF said in its report.
Ms Matas had been working in Tigray since before the war and "was very much loved" by people in the region, Ms Ayora said.Ms Matas had been working in Tigray since before the war and "was very much loved" by people in the region, Ms Ayora said.
Her death has been particularly devastating for her mother as she was her only child, the MSF official added.Her death has been particularly devastating for her mother as she was her only child, the MSF official added.
Mr Tedros was killed soon after his wife had given birth to a baby girl. His widow named the baby Maria, after her father's killed Spanish colleague, Mr Ayora said.Mr Tedros was killed soon after his wife had given birth to a baby girl. His widow named the baby Maria, after her father's killed Spanish colleague, Mr Ayora said.
The aid workers were targeted despite the fact that their vehicle had an MSF flagThe aid workers were targeted despite the fact that their vehicle had an MSF flag
The bodies of Ms Matas and Mr Yohannes were found between 100m (300ft) and 400m from the wreckage of their vehicle. The Tigray conflict broke out in 2020 following a massive fall-out between the regional and federal governments, with neighbouring Eritrea entering the war on the side of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF).
The body of Mr Tedros, the driver, was found by the vehicle."In line with MSF travel policy, the driver stays close to the vehicle," Ms Ayora said. The conflict ended two years later following a peace deal brokered by the African Union (AU). Its envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, put the number of people who died in the conflict at around 600,000.
The vehicle was shot at multiple times and burned on the main road from the town of Abi Adi to Yech'illa, Ms Ayora said. Researchers said the deaths were caused by fighting, starvation and a lack of health care.
Ms Matas and Mr Yohannes were walking when they were shot, she said, adding: "We don't know if they were called for interrogation or they decided to engage with the soldiers." MSF said the killing of its staff took place at a time when the conflict was intensifying, and Ethiopian and Eritrean troops were becoming increasingly hostile towards aid workers in the region.
MSF said it had relied on satellite images, witnesses and publicly available information on the Ethiopian military's movements at the time of the killings to draw its conclusions. The charity's report includes what it says is evidence that a convoy of soldiers from the Ethiopian army, retreating from fighting, was present at the scene of the deaths, which, it adds, is corroborated by satellite imagery.
Its investigation placed Ethiopian troops at the "precise location" where the killings occurred, the charity added. The report says both civilian and military eyewitnesses had come forward to directly implicate Ethiopian army soldiers in the killings, including one who allegedly heard a commander order an attack on the aid workers' vehicle.
MSF's report quoted witnesses as saying they overhead an officer informing the local commander of an approaching white car and the commander giving an order to shoot. However the charity says "the level and nature" of the army's involvement in the attack "remains to be clarified".
Moments later, the commander was allegedly informed that the soldiers had tried to shoot but that the car had turned towards Abi Adi and stopped, at which point the commander gave the order to "go and catch them" and "remove them", the report alleged. "The review found a large body of corroborating evidence that placed a convoy of retreating ENDF troops on the road where the killings took place on the day of the incident," MSF said.
Ms Ayora told the BBC that officials from Ethiopia's justice ministry had verbally informed MSF in mid-2022 that their preliminary investigation showed that government troops were not at the scene of the killing.
However, the officials refused to give this in writing, and the charity kept engaging with the government in order to end "impunity" at a time when an increasing number of aid workers were being killed in conflicts around the world, Ms Ayora said.
More BBC stories on Tigray conflict:More BBC stories on Tigray conflict:
'I lost my leg on the way home from school''I lost my leg on the way home from school'
How a massacre in the sacred city of Aksum unfoldedHow a massacre in the sacred city of Aksum unfolded
The war is over but the rapes continueThe war is over but the rapes continue
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