Ethiopian troops “fulfilled” assistance workers in Tigian conflicts, says MSF official

The Ethiope Government forces “executed” three employees of the medical charitable organization Médecins Sans Frontères (MSF) when they were in the humanitarian mission in the Tiger War-Hit region four years ago, MSF’s senior official said.

Rakel Aira’s comments came when MSF released its conclusions that he called “intentional and purposeful” murder of three – Spanish national and two ethiopics – in the midst of the conflict in tiger.

“They were shot,” said Ms Aer, CEO of Spain MSF. “They encountered the attackers (and) shot at a very close distance … several times.”

BBC asked the Ethiopian government to respond to the statement.

MSF has stated that it released its conclusions because the government did not give a “reliable account” of death, despite 20 meetings to face over the last four years.

Thirty-five-year-old Spaniard Maria Hernandez Matas, as well as 32-year-old Johan Khalefem and 31-year-old Tedroz Hembramariah, were killed on June 24, 2021 while traveling to the Central Tiger to assess medical needs.

“They were very professional and hot,” said Ms Aer at the BBC.

She added that the three were fully identified in the MSF vest, and their car had a flag and charity logos on both sides when they were shot.

“So they (Ethiopian troops) knew that they were killing humanitarian aid workers,” she said, adding that the team’s journey was also common with combat groups.

In 2020, a tiger conflict took place after the mass fall between regional and federal governments, and the neighboring Eritrea entered the war on the side of the Ethiopian Defense Forces (ENDF).

The conflict ended two years after the peace deal called by the African Union (AU). His messenger, former President of Nigeria Olousgun Abasanjo, put the number of people who died in the conflict of about 600,000.

Researchers said death was caused by the struggle, famine and lack of health.

The murders occurred at a time when the conflict intensified, and the Ethiopian and Eritrean troops became more and more hostile to assistance workers in the region, the report said.

Ms Matas has worked in tigers since the war and “very much loved” people in the region, said Ms Aer.

Her death was particularly devastating for her mother because she was the only child, the MSF official added.

Mr. Tedroz was killed shortly after his wife gave birth to a girl. His widow was named by the child Maria after killing a Spanish father’s colleague, said Mr.

Mr. Matas and Mr. Johannes’s bodies were found between 100 m (300 feet) and 400 m from the debris of their car.

Mr. Tedroz’s car that was found by a vehicle. “According to the MSF travel policy, the driver remains next to the vehicle,” said Ms Aer.

The car was shot several times and burned on the main road from the city of ABA to Yech’illa, said Ms Aer.

Ms Matas and Matas and Mr Johannes went when they were shot dead, adding, “We do not know whether they were called for questioning, or they decided to interact with the soldiers.”

MSF said she relied on satellite images, witnesses and publicly available information about the movement of the Ethiopian military during the killings to draw their conclusions.

His investigation posted the Ethiopian troops to the “exact place” where the murder took place, the charity added.

The MSF report provides witnesses who say they are issuing an officer who informs the local commander about approaching a white car and a commander who orders.

A moment later, the commander allegedly reported that the soldiers tried to shoot, but the car turned to OBA and stopped, and at that moment the commander gave the order to “go and catch” and “delete them”, the message said.

Ms Aer told the BBC that the Ethiopian Ministry officials in mid -2012 settled that their preliminary investigation showed that government troops were not at the murder.

However, the officials refused to give it in writing, and the charity continued to do with the government to end the “impunity” at a time when the increasing number of assistance workers died in conflicts around the world, said Ms Aer.