The Metekel massacre was a

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

that took place on the night of 22–23 December 2020, in the

Metekel Zone Metekel Zone is located in Benshangul-Gumuz of Ethiopia. It is bordered on the south and southwest by Kamashi, on the west by Sudan, and on the north and east by the Amhara region. The Abay River defines the Zone's boundaries with Kamashi, whi ...

of the

Benishangul-Gumuz Region Benishangul-Gumuz ( am, ቤንሻንጉል ጉሙዝ, Benšangul Gumuz) is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia to the border of Sudan. It was previously known as Region 6. The region's capital is Assosa. Following the adoption of the 1 ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. , the

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ሰብዓዊ መብቶች ኮሚሽን) is a national human rights institution (NHRI) established by the Ethiopian government. The EHRC is charged with promoting human righ ...

counted 100 deaths. Authorities responded by killing 42 suspects and arresting seven officials.

Context

Several massacres took place in the Metekel Zone during 2019–2020. Different regional and federal authorities disagree on the characterisation of the conflict. The 22–23 December massacre followed several other ethnicity-related massacres in Ethiopia during late 2020.

Massacre

A massacre and burning of houses took place during the night from 22 to 23 December 2020 in Bikuji Kebele in the Metekel Zone. Witness Tesfahun Amogne said that the residents had been surrounded by 500 gunmen. He said that security forces had been "repeatedly notified", and arrived after the attackers had left. '' Amhara Mass Media Agency'' described the victims as ethnic

Amhara people Amharas ( am, አማራ, Āmara; gez, ዐምሐራ, ʾÄməḥära) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group which is indigenous to Ethiopia, traditionally inhabiting parts of the northwest Highlands of Ethiopia, particularly inhabiting the Amhara ...

and Agaw people with the killings as being "ethnically targeted". Initial estimates of the number of dead included 90, 100 (

, EHRC), 200 ( National Movement of Amhara). On 30 December, the government-owned '' Ethiopian Herald'' stated that there had been 207 fatalities. According to the red cross 222 people were killed. Based on interviews with five witnesses,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

described the perpetrators as ethnic Gumuz militias and the victims as ethnic

Amharas Amharas ( am, አማራ, Āmara; gez, ዐምሐራ, ʾÄməḥära) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group which is indigenous to Ethiopia, traditionally inhabiting parts of the northwest Highlands of Ethiopia, particularly inhabiting the Amhara ...

, Oromo and Shinasha, seen by the Gumuz ethno nationalists as settlers.

Response

The

Ethiopian National Defense Force The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) ( am, የኢፌዲሪ መከላከያ ሠራዊት, Ye’īfēdērī mekelakeya šerawīt, lit=FDRE Defense Force) is the military force of Ethiopia. Civilian control of the military is carried out t ...

(ENDF) responded to the massacre by killing 42 people who were alleged by state media to have been involved in the massacre. Benishangul-Gumuz Region security forces arrested seven officials in relation to the massacre. On 30 December, Asrat Denero of the ENDF stated that a national joint task force of government officials and the ENDF had been created. Asrat said that the task force was seeking suspects. He stated that a process of community discussion "at all levels" had been started, with the aim of solving the root causes of the conflict.

References

{{coord missing, Ethiopia 2020 murders in Ethiopia Benishangul-Gumuz Region December 2020 crimes in Africa Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present) Massacres in 2020 Massacres in Ethiopia

Context

Massacre

Response

See also

References