Genocide in Tigray

The genocide in Tigray were the alleged genocidal acts committed during the Tigray war in Ethiopia, which began in November 2020 and formally ended in November 2022.^{[6][page needed][7][8][9]} The conflict started when the regional government of Tigray sought greater autonomy, prompting a military intervention by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and its allies, including the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) and regional militias.

Tigray Genocide
Part of the Tigray war
Playground in Mekelle destroyed by an airstrike on 26 August 2022
Location	Tigray, Ethiopia
Date	2020 – 2022
Target	Tigrayans, Kunama and Irob ethnic groups
Attack type	Genocide, mass murder, wartime rape, summary execution, ethnic cleansing, mass shooting, blocking of humanitarian aid
Deaths	162,000–600,000 civilians (per Ghent University)[1][2][3][4]
Injured	Unknown
Victims	At least 120,000 women raped.[5][4] Over 6 million Tigrayan people affected in various ways
Perpetrators	Ethiopian Government Forces Eritrean Government Forces Amhara Special Forces Afar Special Forces

The Tigray war erupted in November 2020 following a dispute between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party of the Tigray Region, over the region's autonomy. The conflict resulted in thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis.^[10][11][3]

War overview

The Tigray war resulted in thousands of deaths and widespread atrocities, including massacres, rapes, and arbitrary detentions. Both Ethiopian and Tigrayan forces have been accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, though both sides have denied responsibility for these abuses.

New Lines Institute report

On June 4, 2024, the United States-based New Lines Institute released a comprehensive 120-page report concluding that there is strong evidence of genocidal acts committed by Ethiopian forces and their allies during the Tigray war.^[10] The report calls for Ethiopia to be prosecuted at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Before the release of the New Lines Institute report, the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments were repeatedly accused of committing genocide in Tigray.^[12][13][14]

The New Lines Institute report provides evidence that Ethiopian and allied forces committed acts constituting genocide, which include:^[10][8][15]

• Killing Tigrayans: Systematic mass killings of Tigrayan civilians.
• Causing Serious Bodily or Mental Harm: Widespread incidents of torture, rape, and other forms of severe physical and psychological abuse.
• Deliberately Inflicting Conditions to Destroy: Imposing starvation tactics and other measures aimed at destroying Tigrayan communities.
• Preventing Births: Actions intended to prevent births within the Tigrayan population.
• Destruction and Looting of Heritage.^[16]

The report also highlights the role of social media in inciting violence, with certain individuals allegedly using online platforms to promote genocidal actions against Tigrayans.^[10]

Designating Genocide

The 1946 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), declared the Genocide convention, outlining the definition of genocide and listing the crimes. Though the declration defined Genocide, it was other UN organs that interpret the law, the final arbiter being the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ and other international tribunals, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), have through time established the conditions that need to be fulfilled for a crime to be designated a Genocide. Those conditions are broadly classified into three: Targeting of a protected group, five acts that target the group in whole or in part, and intent to destroy.^[17]

Tigrayans as a protected group

The UN Genocide convention stipulates that targeted group can be defined based on ethnicity, nation, race, or religion. As such Tigrayans are mainly categorized under ethnic or subnational grouping. Tigrayans are at the center of long Ethiopian history, starting from the Axumite empire in the 1^st - 7^th century which was situated in current day Tigray highlands and the city of Axum, the battle of Adwa to defeat the Italian invasion in 1896, and the many rebellions of the 20^th century against central Ethiopian governments. This long history has created a distinct ethnic identity with unique language, Tigrinya, and culture.^{[18] [19][20]}

Alleged Crimes

Genocidal Rape

The earliest reports on Sexual and Gender based violence emerged in March and April of 2021. One of those reports came from The New York Times after interviewing, Mona Lisa, a survivor of an attempted assault. She detailed after her resistance the soldier shoot her, leading to an amputated arm, similar testimonies started coming from other outlets as well. In addition, another report came from CNN, where they interviewed victims that had fled to neighboring Sudan. The testimony from the victims indicated that sexual violence was used to "change the identity" of the women. Dr. Tedros Tefera, a physician working at the refugee camp in Sudan, called what was happening in Tigray a "Genocide." In addition, UN Aid Chief Mark Lowcock, stated "Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war in Ethiopia's Tigray", and urged the UN to issue a statement. ^{[21][22][23][24]}

A 2023 study by Mengistu Welday Gebremichael of the College of Health Sciences at Mekelle University, entitled "Rape survivors’ experience in Tigray: a qualitative study", published in BMC Women's Health, explores the devastating impact of sexual violence on women and girls in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Through in-depth interviews with ten survivors, the study reveals the widespread nature of rape and its severe psychological and physical consequences. The authors highlight the long-lasting trauma inflicted on victims, the challenges faced in escaping rape and killings, and the reliance on home remedies for survival in war-affected areas. The study underscores the urgent need for coordinated efforts to heal, support, and rehabilitate survivors, as well as to rebuild and re-equip damaged health institutions in Tigray.^[25][4]

A 2024 article, by Muauz Gidey Alemu of the Tigray Institute of Policy Studies and Mulugeta Gebrehiwet Berhe of the World Peace Foundation, Fletcher School, Tufts University, entitled "Your Womb is Our Enemy: The Rape of Tigray as Genocidal Rape", published in the Journal of BRICS Studies, provides a comprehensive analysis of the sexual violence perpetrated against Tigrayan civilians during the conflict. The authors detail the extent and nature of the abuse, highlighting the deliberate targeting of women, girls, men, and boys based on their ethnicity. They also present evidence suggesting an intent to sterilize and inflict maximum damage, citing specific testimonies and accounts from survivors and witnesses. By comparing the sexual violence in Tigray with similar cases from other conflicts, the authors conclude that it constitutes genocide.^[26]

Destruction of healthcare system

Different studies showed Tigray's healthcare facilities were targeted comprehensively, and intentionally, close to 90% of the region's healthcare system was destroyed. A report by MSF showed less than 1 in 10 was functioning, furthermore the report indicated 73% have been looted, and 87% were not functioning fully or partially. A different study assessed the impact of the war on Tigray's healthcare system, and showed only a quarter of the Hospitals, and less than 11% of ambulances were functioning. This had a detrimental impact on the maternal mortality rate, which quadrupled from 186 per 100,000 in prewar period to 840 per 100,000 by May 2022. ^{[27][28][29][30][27]}

International response

The New Lines Institute report urges the international community to exert diplomatic pressure on Ethiopia and to pursue legal action through the ICJ.^[10] This aligns with previous findings from the United Nations, which noted ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Tigray nearly a year after the formal end of hostilities.^{[citation needed]}

In 2024, the Australian Greens expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia, citing the New Lines Institute Genocide report that details widespread human rights abuses, including killings, displacement, gender-based violence, and famine. The Greens believe the actions of Ethiopian and Eritrean forces may constitute genocide. They urge the Australian government to support accountability for perpetrators, review aid distribution, and increase media coverage of the conflict.^[31]

Ethiopian and Eritrean denials

Both the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments have consistently denied allegations of war crimes and genocide. Ethiopia has been accused of attempting to block international investigations, while Eritrea has labeled the accusations as defamatory.^[32][33]

Notable Statements and Reactions

Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee

The Nobel Peace prize committee issued a statement on January 13, 2022, condemning the restriction of aid to the population in need, and put the onus to end the conflict on the Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, stating "Abiy Ahmed has a special responsibility to end the conflict and help to create peace." The Ethiopian PM had won the prize in 2019, and the Tigray war started less than two years after the award.^[34]

Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church Patriarch

The 6^th patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Mathias, decried what is happening in Tigray as Genocide, and added his voice is being censored not to speak on the issue. The patriarch is an ethnic Tigrayan himself, and alleged various crimes against the Ethiopian government. ^[35]

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General

WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in his remarks on October 19, 2022," there is a narrow window to prevent Genocide in Tigray." The Director General has been critical of the Ethiopian government's handling of the war and lambasted the use of siege to prevent the passage of humanitarian aid as using food and healthcare as weapon of war. The director general himself hails from Tigray and has been the health minister and subsequently the foreign minister of Ethiopia, before becoming the Director General of WHO. The Ethiopian government has accused him of backing the TPLF and assisting them in their fight diplomatically and by providing weapons.^[36]

US Government Positions

Different elected and appointed officials from the US issued statements on this topic. The secretary of State Anthony Blinken for the first time used the term ethnic cleansing to describe what was happening in western Tigray, this came during the oversight hearing on March 10, 2021. Another figure to make a statement on Tigray Genocide was Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senator Bob Menedez, in a letter written to President Biden, he claimed Ethiopian officials have committed Genocide in Tigray. Furthermore, he asked the president to direct the state department to continue its work to determine the nature of crimes committed.^[37][38]

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum issued a statement at two different times, one in December 2021 and another one in October 2022, both times the violence and rhetoric was severe, and the Museum Warned there is a heightened risk of Genocide. The Museum cited vitriolic rhetoric against the Tigrayan, and the different actions taken against the group. Furthermore, it underlined the need to avoid tunnel vision for fear of derailing the ongoing negotiations and look for other solutions to prevent Genocide.^[39][40]

See also

• War crimes in the Tigray war
• Casualties of the Tigray war
• Outline of genocide studies
• Siege of Tigray
• Reactions to the Tigray war