Axum massacre
The Axum massacre (alternatively spelled Aksum, also called the Maryam Ts'iyon massacre) was a massacre of about 100–800 civilians that took place in Axum during the Tigray War. The main part of the massacre occurred on the afternoon and evening of 28 November 2020, continuing on 29 November, with smaller numbers of extrajudicial killings taking place earlier, starting from 19 November and during the weeks following the 28–29 November weekend. The massacre was attributed to the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) by Amnesty International, Associated Press, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Adigrat University lecturer Getu Mak.
| Axum massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Tigray War | |
Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion Location of the massacre | |
| Location | Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, Axum, Tigray Region, Ethiopia |
| Date | 28 November and 15 December or 17–20 December 2020 |
| Target | Tigrayans |
Attack type |
|
| Deaths | minimum extrajudicial killings |
| Perpetrators | Eritrean Defence Forces |
The main massacre consisted of killings by shooting by the EDF throughout Axum. The bodies were brought to churches, including the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion (Maryam Ts'iyon), for burial. Killings are also alleged to have previously taken place within the church. Due to a tight communication blockade, news of the massacre was only revealed internationally in early January 2021 after survivors escaped to safe locations. The EHRC visited Axum from 27 February to 5 March 2021.