Adwa massacres

During the Tigray War, which began in late 2020 after tensions between the separatist Tigray People's Liberation Front and Ethiopian president Abiy Ahmed boiled over, Adwa and other areas of western Tigray region became a hotspot of violence between the TPLF and the Ethiopian government.^[1] In November 2020, less than a month after the start of the war, Ethiopian troops captured Adwa.^[1] Eritrean troops became involved in the war by 2021, and in April 2021 three civilians were killed and 19 were injured in an Eritrean massacre in Adwa.^[2]

On 14 September 2022, Eritrean and Ethiopian forces launched a joint offensive into southern and northern Tigray, attacking the cities of Adigrat and Shire, and capturing Alamata and Korem just days into the offensive.^[3][4] These joint offensives came at the cusp of a breakthrough in peace talks between Eritrea, Ethiopia, and the TPLF.^[5] On October 18, Eritrean troops massacred at least 26 civilians in the town of Semema, and later massacred 65 civilians in Enine in central Tigray.^[6]

Adwa was recaptured in the last week of October 2022, by ENDF troops, Eritrean troops, Amhara regional forces, and the pro-government Amhara Fano militia.^[7] These troops arrived in Adwa and nearby villages on October 25.^[8][9] According to witnesses, fighting had been ongoing in the mountainous terrain near the village of Mariam Shewito in the days leading up to October 25.^[10] Tigrayan forces had inflicted heavy losses on the Ethiopian-led alliance before retreating, and Eritrean troops were the first to arrive in the area.^[9] These soldiers were angry about losing the battle, and began killing civilians as soon as they entered villages near Adwa.^[8] Eritrean troops blocked off the road leading out of Adwa once they captured it.^[10]

The first reported casualty of the massacres was 92 year-old Gebremariam Niguse in the village of Mariam Shewito.^[9] Niguse's house was the first house reached by the Eritreans, and they shot him and six of his relatives including a 5 month old baby.^[9] The Eritreans later went house-to-house in Mariam Shewito over the next three days, killing anyone they saw.^[9] While some men were killed with their families, others were tied up and taken to a mountain named Gobo Soboria, where they were shot.^[9] Satellite imagery on October 27 shows Eritrean vehicles less than three miles away from Mariam Shewito.^[9]

More than 50 people were killed at the Mariam Shewito church, and satellite imagery on November 1 showed that the church was burnt down.^[11][9] At least 67 structures in Mariam Shewito were destroyed, and survivors testified that the Eritrean troops looted and destroyed houses after killing the residents.^[11][10][9] Survivors said that when the men were being led onto mountains before being killed, the Eritreans accused the victims of being part of the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) and supplying food to the TDF.^[10] The Eritreans were identifiable as distinct from the Ethiopians because they spoke fluent Tigrinya.^[10]

After October 28, the Eritreans entered nine other villages and began killing the populace there as well.^[10][8] The villages attacked were Endabagerima, Geria, Adi Bechi, Adi Chiwa, Mindibdib, Kifdimet, and Kumro.^[9] In the village of Endabagerima, several members of a family were killed by and their bodies dumped in a storm drain by the Eritreans.^[10] Many residents fled their homes and did not return until after the Eritreans left on November 1.^[10][9]