Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on July 21, 2021
Fears that fascist Abiy Ahmed may set up a bomb attack at tomorrow’s rally in Addis Ababa & attribute it to Tigrayans to instigate a genocide against them. The international community should follow this closely!
🔥The Reichstag Fire — Hitler Consolidates Power🔥
The Reichstag Fire was an event that greatly aided the Third Reich’s plans to end German democratic rule.
On February 27th, 1933, the Reichstag, or German parliament building, burned. The Nazi Party blamed the fire on a Communist plot, though Nazi Party members may have played a role in the arson. Hitler used it as a pretext for imprisoning political opponents and abolishing citizen rights, such as freedom of the press and speech. Further emboldened by the blaze, the Nazis accelerated rearmament plans and expansion of the armed forces, part of Hitler’s broader effort to rebuild German military might.
A Protestant television transmitted the “exorcism” seen in the clip which directly and openly demonizes Tigrayans and Tigray. The video shows a woman “possessed” by a “spirit” that has been killing and attacking the Ethiopian national defense forces in Tigray and is aiming to destroy Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was once the toast of the international community. He was young, spoke the language of democracy, and was willing to reverse longtime policy to end the border conflict with Eritrea. In 2019, he took home the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Today, he is a Nobel embarrassment.
On July 18, 2021, his office issued a statement with the type of ethnic incitement that would make Rwanda’s Hutu génocidaires blush: He referred to Ethiopia’s Tigrayans as “the cancer of Ethiopia” and called on all Ethiopians “to remove the invasive weed.” Human rights organizations and journalists say he is systematically seeking to starve the Tigray province, and he has begun closing or seizing businesses owned by the Tigray. In effect, this replicates what late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin once did with his country’s ethnic Indian population. Both the war and the internal economic disruption have undercut Ethiopia’s already tenuous economy.
Rashid Abdi, one of the East Africa’s most insightful and perceptive analysts, now reports via twitter, “Embassies in Addis [Ababa] making contingency plans to move to Nairobi in case situation deteriorates in coming weeks. Economic and financial collapse feared.” He cited one analyst as suggesting the prospects of an internal coup are very high.
Such a scenario is not farfetched. In last month’s elections, Abiy’s party reportedly won 410 out of 436 seats. The State Department, however, called the election “flawed” and international elections monitors pointedly refused to call the polls free and fair. Most opposition remains in prison. The Tigray Defense Force’s recapture of the Tigray provincial capital Mekelle after Abiy claimed victory is an embarrassment Abiy cannot hide. Nor, even with the tight control Abiy’s regime holds over the media, can he hide the images of thousands of Ethiopian troops paraded through the capital as prisoners.
This creates a perfect storm for Abiy. The government wants a scapegoat for their failure, and top generals could target Abiy if only to preempt the prime minister targeting them. Nor is Tigray the only insurgency Ethiopia now faces. At the same time, the implosion of Ethiopia’s economy means that Abiy is hemorrhaging the support of ordinary Ethiopians in the capital and across the country. While the Ethiopian Birr is officially 44 to the US dollar, it is trading in the Ethiopian-Somaliland border town of Wajaale at 61 to the dollar, a 38 percent drop.
Abiy’s arrogance toward fellow African leaders and the African Union means that, while none care for the precedent of a violent overthrow, neither would any intercede if members of Abiy’s own entourage pushed Abiy aside. Regime change in Ethiopia will be internal and may likely come in a matter of weeks rather than years. Let us hope the White House and State Department are not asleep at the switch, and that the Pentagon is already considering how to achieve a noncombatant evacuation operation for the tens of thousands of American citizens who call Ethiopia home.
Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on July 19, 2021
☆ Architect of the Dam, Meles Zenawi
Back in 2012 PM Meles Zenawi needed $4.8 billionto build The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.2017 was the dam’s scheduled completion date
☆ Seller of the Dam, Abiy Ahmed Ali.
And then came the evil PM Abiy Ahmed Ali in 2018.
The first thing he did was, to travel to Egypt – to swear to Allah before the Egyptian people that he will not hurt Egypt’s share of the Nile.
“I swear to Allah, we will never harm you,” Ahmed repeated the words in Arabic after Egypt president Al-Sisi, who thanked him.
😈 Upon his return to Addis Ababa, on July 26 2018, Abiy Ahmed murdered the chief engineer of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project Simegnew Bekele.
😈Abiy Ahmed Ali sold the dam to Egypt and his Arab Babysitters.
He started the cold war against Tigray in March 2018, and the hot war in November 2020 — in a well-coordinated manner with Isaiah Afewerki, the UAE & Somalia — following the Road map given to him by his Luciferian guardians. In addition to massacring more than 200,000 Tigrayans, he has spent $ 4.8 billion in the #TigrayGenocide. He would/ must have spent that money instead on the Renaissance Dam.
🔥 Three years earlier, on this very day of July 26, 2015, President Barack Hussein Obama became the 1st sitting US President to visit Ethiopia. Upon his arrival at the Bole airport, a rainbow – that we know from The Blue Nile ‘Tiss Esat’ water falls — had appeared over Addis Sky.
💭 We don’t know the exact day of Premier Meles Zenawi’s death – may he have already died on 26 July while undergoing treatment in Belgium?
💭 May 18, 2012, President Obama invited three African leaders – President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania at the G8 Meeting to address a symposium on global agriculture and food security. (Population Control).
💭 On July 16, 2012 the Muslim brotherhood Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi visited Addis Ababa and met with His Holiness Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
☆ President Atta Mills of Ghana died on July 24, 2012
☆ Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia died on 20 August, probably on July 26, 2012
☆ His Holiness, Abune Paulos, Patriarch and Catholicos of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Archbishop of Axum and Ichege of the See of Saint Teklehaimanot, fell asleep in the Lord in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on August 16, 2012
☆ President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi, died on June 17, 2019.
❖ First The Patriarch, and then The Prime Minster. Coincidence? I don’t think so!
Mohamed Morsi knew something about the death of The Patriarch & The Prime Minster – so they have to get rid of him.
Archangel Michael, The Prince of Light and Defender of God’s will, certainly knows what’s going on – and I think President Barack Hussein Obama + President Mohamed Morsi + Billionaire Saudi-Ethiopian tycoon Mohammed al-Amoudi + The designated (by Obama’s CIA) shadow PM Abiy Ahmed Ali had conspired to murder Patriarch Paulos and Premier Meles Zenawi.
Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on July 17, 2021
Nine months of Oromia’s / ‘Ethiopia’s’ brutal shadow war against Tigrayans – The #TigrayGenocide is an ongoing series of human rights abuses, starvation crimes, in which hunger is used as a weapon of war, oppression, punishment, including pillage, forced displacement, destruction of food, water and health facilities, widespread rape that prevents survivors from caring for themselves and their children, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. perpetrated by Abiy Ahmed Ali’s Oromo and Amhara Army and militias.
However, Christian Tigrayans have mercy even with these barbarians who waged genocide against them. But, these barbarians don’t take this as an act of peace – as a goodwill gesture. The merciless, barbarous, callous, hard-hearted and ungrateful fascist Oromo and Amhara (Oromara) army of the evil Nobel Peace laureate Abiy Ahmed Ali is reinforcing itself with three more regional militias against the just and merciful Tigray forces.
The Oromo god „Waqqa-Alah„demands mass ritual blood sacrifices. Pay attention, the wars fought in Ethiopia are Satan’s continuing battle for Power – so almost all the wars that took place in Ethiopia are always purposefully brought by Satan to Christian Northern Ethiopia.
💭 Now please tell us who is the terrorist and fascist war criminal?
💭 Ethiopia’s Tigray forces say they released 1,000 captured soldiers
Forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have released around 1,000 government soldiers captured during recent fighting
Forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have released around 1,000 government soldiers captured during recent fighting, the head of its ruling party said, as both sides prepared for a showdown over contested land in the west of the region.
Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), told Reuters by satellite phone late on Friday that they have released 1,000 low-ranking soldiers.
“More than 5,000 (soldiers) are still with us, and we will keep the senior officers who will face trial,” he said.
He said the soldiers had been driven to Tigray’s southern border with the Amhara region on Friday, but did not say who received them or how the release was negotiated.
Reuters could not independently confirm his account.
A military spokesman said he was not immediately available to comment on Saturday, and the spokesman for the Amhara regional administration said he had no information on the release.
Officials in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office and a government taskforce on Tigray did not answer calls seeking comment.
Fighting broke out in Tigray in November when the government accused the TPLF of attacking military bases across the region, which the party denied. The government declared victory three weeks later when it took control of the regional capital, Mekelle, but the TPLF kept fighting.
In a dramatic turn, the TPLF retook Mekelle and most of Tigray at the end of June, after the government pulled out its soldiers and declared a unilateral ceasefire. read more
However, the TPLF vowed to keep fighting until it had regained control of disputed territory in the south and west of Tigray that was seized during the fighting by the government’s allies from Amhara.
Abiy said this week that the military would repel any TPLF threat, effectively abandoning the self-declared truce. Amhara and three other regions said they were mobilizing forces to support the national army in its fight against the TPLF. read more
Thousands of people have died in the fighting; around 2 million have been displaced and more than 5 million rely on emergency food aid.
On Friday, Ethiopia’s foreign ministry issued a statement accusing aid groups of arming rebels.
“Some aid agencies have been actively engaged in a destructive role. We have also confirmed that they have been using aid as a cover and are arming the rebel groups to prolong the conflicts,” it said.
The statement did not identify the groups and there was no immediate response from the agencies that operate in Tigray. The United Nations humanitarian organization OCHA did not respond to a request for comment.
The U.N. has said desperately needed aid is being blocked at checkpoints as convoys travel through government-held territory. Ethiopian authorities say the aid needs to be checked.
Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on July 16, 2021
👉 Where’s the outrage over famine and genocide in Ethiopia
Not My Party: What’s Going on in Ethiopia (And Why You Should Care)
The world seems indifferent to the war, famine, and ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia. The United States shouldn’t be.
There’s a crisis in Ethiopia—ethnic cleansing and famine worse than anywhere in the world. So why is the social media outrage being carried by Bachelor Nation?
In the Ethiopian city of Aksum, hyenas fed on the bodies of some of the hundreds who were killed in a church massacre. The corpses of young boys laid in the street for days. This is one of the many horror stories taking place in the Tigray region of the country. Thousands are starving to death. Millions are in need of food. There have been over 22,000 rape victims. The government is blocking humanitarian efforts to supply aid, and they’re suspected of committing war crimes.
How did this happen in a country led by Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize just two years ago?
Tigray’s the home to the TPLF, a regional political party and paramilitary organization. The region is mountainous and sits on the border of Eritrea, a country that was once part of Ethiopia. Ethiopia and Eritrea have been at war for decades, with Tigray and the TPLF stuck in the middle. Abiy was hailed for bringing this conflict to an end in 2018.
Then last year, Abiy postponed the Ethiopian elections because of COVID. The Tigrayans didn’t like this too much. So they held elections on their own. Then, Abiy sent the Ethiopian military into the region after claiming that the TPLF had attacked their base, starting a sh*tshow of epic, historic proportion.
The Eritrean Army then saw an opportunity for revenge after years of war in Tigray. And so they invaded as well, alongside Abiy and the Ethiopian army. Internet access and electricity was cut off to the region. So the ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans raged in secret.
“There’s no hunger in Tigray. There’s a problem in Tigray, and the government’s capable of fixing that.” [Ahmed]
Nice Nobel Prize, ass.
That’s right: In 2021, when we can FaceTime our moms across the globe in a second, nobody knew about this mass murder and famine for months. But now that it’s public, with millions still denied aid, where’s the social media outrage? “Kony 2012” had Bieber and Gaga and everyone. Cardi B spoke out on Sudan.
But if you aren’t a consumer of foreign news here in the U.S., you might only know about this if you’re a “Bachelor’s” fan. That’s because when the last season finished, a contestant named Magi Tareke called her mother, who lived in the Tigray region, and she couldn’t get through because of the blackouts. Turns out her mother was safe, and her brother had fled to Sudan. In the meantime, the bachelorettes rallied around her on social media. And thank God—somebody had to.
The lack of outrage obviously stems from the Ethiopian government’s lies and gaslighting and blackout of the region. They blocked journalists and humanitarian groups and the internet, and it’s worked.
But I also worry that our muted response is a result of our own diminished view of the United States’s role in the world. Look, USAID director Samantha Power has been taking action. But all Joe Biden’s done is put out a nice statement. The administration’s been focusing more on COVID and the homefront.
The MAGA right has decided that the U.S. should ignore the problems in “sh*thole countries” and ban refugees fleeing persecution from coming here. Meanwhile, the extreme left thinks that U.S. involvement in the world does more harm than good.
We cannot let this America-alone mindset take hold. For all our flaws, the U.S. is needed. When there are problems, China and Russia ain’t coming through that door. It’s on us to reestablish ourselves as a beacon of hope in the world.
From Apologies To Atrocities: How To Make Sense Of Leadership Statements In Ethiopia
“This hasn’t been researched, but it’s obvious. From the battle of Add waa during the time of Menelik, to the later wars, many people from central Ethiopia – Oromos, Amharas – have been going to Tigray to fight. They were there for the war with Eritrea, and there’s been a military presence in Tigray for the 30 years since. So, if you’re wondering what the proportion of Oromo in Tigray is, leave it for DNA to find out. It’s probably wrong to say this, but: those who went to Add waa, to fight, didn’t just go and come back. Each of them had about 10 kids.”
In a speech to assembled Ethiopian ambassadors in January 2019, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed would make a prescient remark regarding Tigray. Alluding to the role of soldiers during the battle of Adua in 1896 and later, during the Eritrean war, Abiy said: “This hasn’t been researched, but it’s obvious. From the battle of Add waa during the time of Menelik, to the later wars, many people from central Ethiopia – Oromos, Amharas – have been going to Tigray to fight. They were there for the war with Eritrea, and there’s been a military presence in Tigray for the 30 years since. So, if you’re wondering what the proportion of Oromo in Tigray is, leave it for DNA to find out. [Hilarity in the audience] It’s probably wrong to say this, but: those who went to Add waa, to fight, didn’t just go and come back. Each of them had about 10 kids.” [Loud laughter of the audience and applause].
On March 21 2020, during a parliamentary session in which he was questioned on sexual violence in Tigray, Abiy replied: “The women in Tigray? These women have only been penetrated by men, whereas our soldiers were penetrated by a knife”.
Earlier that year, after the first reports of the deliberate targeting of women had begun to emerge, an Ethiopian general is filmed addressing a group of officers. Berating his cohorts, he says: “why are women being raped in Tigray, at this time? We might expect this during war time and it is not manageable but why is it happening now in the presence of federal police, in the presence of an official administration?”
The rest of the video has been cut by the Ethiopian Broadcast Commission which first broadcast it, but it would appear to be an admission of what had been going on. An admission later echoed by the Ethiopian Minister for Women’s Affairs and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. (Addis Standard reports)
What are we to make of these statements? How are we to interpret words which, from the Prime Minister himself, seem an open acknowledgment, even an endorsement, of military tactics and strategy that holds, as its central pillar, the use of rape in war? How can the world reconcile these kinds of statements? How will the people of Tigray – and in particular the women – live with what has been said, and what has been admitted; and above all, if Abiy wins the election in June 21, how will the the rest of Ethiopia live with a Prime Minister who has endorsed a culture of rape?
Abiy Ahmed was appointed Prime Minster of Ethiopia on April 2 2018. He arrived on the scene talking hope, reconciliation, reform and much anticipated change. He seemed to embody everything Ethiopians hoped for. He was half Oromo half Amhara; a Christian, though Protestant, but he acknowledged his Islamic ancestors. He seemed to be the new ‘unity in diversity’ figurehead incarnate. A new Ethiopia in the making. Who could object? He embarked on a series of tours around the country to explain himself then to the diaspora, to neighbours, and to the world. He moved fast, making changes addressing all the grievances over corruption and the past ‘misdeeds’ of the former government. He released prisoners, called back banned political parties and enjoined Ethiopians to address their past and atone with one another over historical events, and then move on.
The man with a PhD in Peace and Conflict studies it seems was putting in place the main steps for future reconciliation and state rebuilding. The world held its breath; he ‘made peace’ with Eritrea, he talked of Rwanda, he reminded the world of the evils of genocide and the need not to demonize and to transcend all differences. He appointed several women into his cabinet, a first for Ethiopia. He was applauded at home and abroad he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
It was a moment of pride for the country for him. Much was written: articles, blogs, Twitter, Facebook all were euphoric. Ethiopia reasserting her honor, her history of internationalism and defender of universal values. A founding member of the United Nations a great contributor to Peace-Keeping operations since 1950. Abiy, the ex military man now statesman was bringing back this honor to Ethiopia, to the Ethiopian army, to its people.
As the war unfolded in Tigray, the reports of atrocities and their specific intentions seemed to follow the textbook example of all that has been written and researched on the use of rape in war, and on violations of international protocols and treaties governing conflict. AP Africa correspondent Cara Anna described the horrors of sexual violence in Tigray on CBS News. Aljazeera and Reuters detailed the sexual slavery in Tigray. Helen Clark and Rachel Kyte called the world to action: “The world knows enough to say that war crimes are happening in Tigray. We should not need to wait until we are able to conduct full and thorough investigations before we act to stop rape as a weapon of war. We should not have to count the graves of children before we act to stop starvation crimes.” The Red Cross also condemned this horrific sexual violence in the strongest terms.
With each report and social outrage, there was denial and counter accusations of ‘fake news’ and ‘alleged’ rapes and claims of a ‘western’ smear campaign against the integrity of Ethiopia. The cries of pain and testaments of Tigrayan women, now scorned and dismissed as propaganda.
As activists and human rights lawyers examine the evidence from Tigray and other places where women continue to suffer the onslaught of violence and ethnic cleansing, the academics remind us: governments don’t outsource violence to militias; they model it.
On June 19th the world will be commemorating International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. A day agreed on by all member states of the UN to condemn and call for the end of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and enforced sterilization; and to honour victims, survivors and those fighting to end these most terrorizing and destructive of crimes.
As activists and human rights lawyers examine the evidence from Tigray and other places where women continue to suffer the onslaught of violence and ethnic cleansing, the academics remind us: governments don’t outsource violence to militias; they model it. Data on government and militia attacks against civilians in civil wars from 1989 to 2010 show that when governments target civilians — whether through massacres, ethnic cleansing or deliberate bombing and shelling — they generally do so through both their regular military forces and militia forces. And when states decide not to target civilians, militias generally hold back as well. They may influence militia behavior through training or through more informal diffusion — or both. Studies show that when governments train militias, militias are more likely to target civilians both with sexual violence and other kinds of violence.”
On June 17 The African Union announced the opening of the official Commission of inquiry into Tigray. As they begin to collect the statements from Tigrayan refugees and victims of sexual violence, they would be wise to also consider the various speeches and statements of Abiy Ahmed himself.
Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on June 1, 2021
Eritrean soldiers killed 19 civilians in a village at the foot of an internationally celebrated rock-hewn church in Tigray three weeks ago, witnesses, relatives and local residents have claimed, the latest alleged atrocity in the war-torn Ethiopian region.
Most of the victims in the alleged attack were women and young children.
The killings were perpetrated by Eritrean soldiers in a small rural settlement on steep slopes below the fifth-century stone church of Abuna Yemata on 8 May, according to multiple testimonies viewed by the Guardian.
Troops from Eritrea are fighting in Tigray on the side of Ethiopian government forces, in defiance of international calls for their withdrawal.
The soldiers were scouts from an Eritrean military unit whose task was to track down fighters loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the region’s former ruling party.
The reported massacre is the latest in a series of alleged atrocities since the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel peace prize, launched a military offensive in November to “restore the rule of law” by ousting the TPLF, after a surprise attack on a federal army base.
Though he vowed the conflict would be brief, more than six months later fighting continues and reports of atrocities are proliferating, amid warnings of an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.
Several thousand people are feared to have died in such killings, which have been accompanied by a wave of sexual violence and the displacement of up to 2 million people.
This new report of what appears to have been the cold-blooded killing of unarmed civilians, including young children, will add to international pressure on Ethiopian authorities for a ceasefire to stem such abuses and allow humanitarian aid into Tigray.
All actors in the conflict have been accused of human rights abuses but Eritrean troops appear to have been responsible for a high proportion.
The description of the behaviour of the Eritrean troops at Abuna Yemata seen by the Guardian fits with previous reports of other such incidents in Tigray.
The testimony comes primarily from three individuals but is difficult to confirm in all its aspects. One source heard details from a woman who survived some hours after the attack, while the others gathered accounts from close friends, including a man whose wife was killed.
According to the accounts, the casualties were from three families who had spent the night in their homes before setting out to hide with the men from the village during the day.
The scouts came at 8am to the small hamlet, which comprises only a handful of homesteads, and were suspicious of an unusually large store of edible crops, according to the testimony. The foodstuff was the produce of several households that had been gathered for safekeeping.
The soldiers accused the villagers of being supporters of the TPLF insurgents and gathered them together in a field near a small river. One shot the two men in the group, aged 45 and 78, then others opened fire on the remainder. There are different reports of the number of attackers.
A larger group of Eritrean soldiers who arrived after the shootings reprimanded the scouts responsible for the killings, according to one account.
When the male residents of the village returned after some hours in hiding, they found the dead and injured. An infant was among the dead and nine members of one family were killed, a list of the names suggests.
The testimony matches accounts given by relatives of two children, aged six and four, who were injured in the attack but survived. Both were transported to a hospital in Mekelle, a journey that took a week due to road closures and the remote location of the alleged massacre.
The testimony also refers to a series of fierce clashes between TPLF and Eritrean forces in the area of the alleged massacre. Independent observers consulted by the Guardian have confirmed that these occurred at the locations indicated. Civilians were killed in shelling in the town of Hawzen, less than 5km from the scene of the alleged massacre, a day before it occurred.
Eritrean and Ethiopian forces are thought to have suffered significant casualties in the clashes in and around Hawzen and villages near the Abuna Yemata church in early May, though exact totals are unknown. Atrocities have frequently been committed in the aftermath of fighting as troops seek to establish control over populations or strategic landmarks and seek revenge.
The worst perpetrators were Eritrean troops fighting alongside Ethiopian forces, though all armed actors are accused of committing atrocities.
Multiple witnesses, survivors of rape, officials and aid workers have said Eritrean soldiers have been seen throughout Tigray, sometimes clad in faded Ethiopian army fatigues.
Eritrean troops entered Tigray from its neighbouring state at the beginning of the offensive last year to reinforce the federal government’s forces. It is unclear whether they have remained with the consent of Addis Ababa.
“The magnitude and gravity of child rights violations taking place across Tigray show no sign of abating, nearly seven months since fighting broke out in northern Ethiopia,” the UN agency said.
“Armed parties continue to routinely prevent the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Aid which is delivered is often being taken from those in need to feed soldiers. Agricultural production is being targeted. Imports of vital communications equipment are being delayed. This is not a matter of interfering in sovereign internal affairs, but about observing the binding obligations on all states under international humanitarian law,” she said.
Gebrehiwet Gebreanenya and Abraha Gebreanenya are two married brothers who live in the house of their parents with their elderly father Gebreanenya Gebreegziabher, their wives and children. Gebrehiwet and his wife Tsegu Gebremichael had two children, Samrawit and Yordanos; and Abraha, his elder brother, and his wife Hiwet Birhane, had four children: Mahlet, Zufan, Rahel and a not-yet-christened baby. Both of them are farmers and everyday they move with their cattle to grazing lands and waters, only coming back to spend the night at home.
On Friday, May 7, 2021, a fighting took place between Eritrean and Tigrayan forces in the village of Abune Y’ma’eta Guh, at the foot of the famous rock-hewn church. The village residents all fled to the mountains and spent the day in caves. In the evening, when the fighting stopped, they came down to their village to spend the night in their homes. The next day, on Saturday, Gebrehiwet and Abraha discussed the plan for the day and as usual left with their cattle. The plan was for their wives, their children and their elderly father to join the other village residents and flee to the caves as they did the day before. Everyone was preparing food, water and other essentials for the day and early around 8 AM, just when they were about to leave the village, Eritrean troops unexpectedly came to the village, visited the houses, dragged the civilians out and massacred them in their farmlands. They shot 21 people in total and 19 of them died, two survived but in severely wounded condition. Seven of the killed are children under the age of 10, one of them a one-month-old baby. They killed everyone they found in the village.
The victims included 9 members of the Gebreaneneya family and 12 others. These are: Akebom Gebresilassie, Amit Abadi, Gidey Gebreqorqos , Awetash Tsadiq, Tsegu Gebreegzibher with her son, Tekle Gebrehiet, Alemtsehay Gidey (her son severely wounded). Birhan Abraha (with her two children). Alemtsehay’s father, Gidey, was killed by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers back in November.
When Gebrehiwet and Abraha came back in the evening, they found 8 members of the household massacred in a field some 20 minutes-walk away from their house. Their father Gebreanenya, Abraha’s wife and his four children including the not-yet-christened baby were all killed. Gebrehiwet’s wife Tsegu and his 2-year-old daughter Yordanos were also killed. His daughter Samrawit was wounded by bullets and machete, but she survived.
The troops first shot Samrawit on her right thigh and leg. When they knew she was not dead, they used machete to injure her right thigh and leg. Samrawit is four and half years old. Her father brought her to Ayder on foot through Agoza-Tsigereda route because the Megab – Abraha we Atsbeha route was occupied by the troops. Some other men from the village helped him carry her in an improvised stretcher. They started the journey on Thursday May 13 (05/09/2013 ዓ/ም) and arrived at Ayder Referral Hospital on Saturday May 15. They were lucky to find a car on the way from Tsigereda to Wukro, which brought them to Mekelle.
