Dedebit airstrike

On 7 January 2022 (Orthodox Christmas), the Ethiopian Air Force carried out an airstrike on a camp for internally displaced people in the town of Dedebit, in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.[1][2][3] According to aid workers and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, between 56 and 59 people were killed and at least 30 others were injured.[4][5] Most of the victims were reported to have been hiding in a camp set up inside a school at the time of the attack.[6]

Dedebit airstrike
Part of the Tigray War
Dedebit is located in Ethiopia
Dedebit
Dedebit
Location of Dedebit in Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Dedebit is located in Tigray Region
Dedebit
Dedebit
Dedebit (Tigray Region)
LocationDedebit, Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date7 January 2022
Attack type
Deaths56–59
Injured30–42+
PerpetratorsEthiopia Ethiopian Air Force

Background

The airstrike occurred in the context of a wider campaign of airstrikes and bombardments of Tigrayan settlements, which left 108 people dead overall.[7][8] In particular, it happened during an interim period between the TPLF's withdrawal of troops from the Amhara and Afar Regions on 20 December 2021,[9][10] and the beginning of a 5-month ceasefire on 24 March 2022.[11]

In response to the Tigrayan withdrawal, the Ethiopian federal government made reassurances that the ENDF would not advance further into Tigray than they already had, as, according to Government Communication Service minister Legesse Tulu, "the [TPLF]’s desire and ability [to engage in war] is severely destroyed."[12] The federal government publicly expressed a desire for peace, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stating he was looking for an "all-inclusive national dialogue."[13] On the same day as the airstrike, Ethiopia also released a number of political prisoners, some of them being from the TPLF.[14]

It was later revealed that the Ethiopian military may have bought the drones from Turkey, as the drones used were Baykar Bayraktar TB2.[5][15][16]

Investigations

On 24 March 2022, Human Rights Watch requested the Ethiopian government to investigate the airstrike, describing it as a war crime.[6] UN investigators came to a similar conclusion in September 2022, stating that they had "reasonable grounds to believe that the Ethiopian Air Force committed war crimes," among them being the airstrike on Dedebit.[17]

References
  1. "Ethiopia: At least 56 killed in Tigray air strike on camp for internally displaced, aid workers say". Sky News. 8 January 2022.
  2. "Aid workers say Ethiopia air strike in northwest Tigray killed 56 people". Reuters. 8 January 2022.
  3. "Dozens killed in Ethiopian air strike on IDP camp in Tigray". Al Jazeera. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Aid workers say Ethiopia air strike in northwest Tigray killed 56 people". Reuters. 10 January 2022. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.
  5. Bearak, Max; Kelly, Meg; Lee, Joyce Sohyun (7 February 2022). "How Ethiopia used a Turkish drone in a strike that killed nearly 60 civilians". The Washington Post. With a flash in the dark, the building and the grounds around it were struck by drone-delivered bombs, killing at least 59 people and gravely injuring dozens more…
  6. AfricaNews (24 March 2022). "Human Rights Watch calls on Ethiopia to probe possible "war crime"". Africanews. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  7. York, Geoffrey (14 January 2022). "Ethiopian air strikes kill 108 civilians in Tigray region, UN says". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.
  8. "Ethiopia wants WHO to investigate Tedros over Tigray remarks". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  9. "Tigrayan forces announce retreat to Ethiopia's Tigray region". Al Jazeera. 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022. 'We decided to withdraw from these areas to Tigray. We want to open the door to humanitarian aid,' Getachew said.
  10. "Tigray forces withdraw from neighbouring Ethiopian regions -spokesman". Reuters. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  11. Tadesse, Fasika; Marks, Simon (24 March 2022). "Ethiopia Declares Unilateral Truce in War-Ravaged Tigray". Bloomberg News.
  12. "Ethiopia says its army will not advance further into Tigray". AP News. 23 December 2021.
  13. "Ethiopia announces amnesty for prominent opposition figures". France 24. 7 January 2022.
  14. Endeshaw, Dawit (8 January 2022). "Ethiopia frees opposition leaders from prison, announces political dialogue". Reuters. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  15. "Tigray conflict: What do we know about drone strikes in Ethiopia?". BBC News. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  16. "Evidence from civilian bombing in Ethiopia points to Turkish drone". POLITICO. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  17. "International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia United Nations Human Rights Council -51st Session". OHCHR. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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