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Bora massacre
Part of Tigray War
BoraShow map of Tigray RegionBoraShow map of EthiopiaLocation of Bora in Tigray (Ethiopia)
Location	Bora (Tigrinya: ቦራ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date	8 January 2021
Target	Tigrayans
Attack type	Mass killing Ethnic cleansing
Deaths	187 civilians
Perpetrators	Ethiopian National Defence Force

The Bora massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Bora (Tigrinya: ቦራ) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 8 January 2021, with aftermath killings that continued up to 10 January. Bora is the capital town of woreda Bora-Selewa, Southern zone of Tigray.

Massacre

A skirmish occurred between the TDF and ENDF on the morning of 8 January in the Ajale mountains, about 16 kilometres northeast of Bora. After the fighting, soldiers descended upon Bora.

A massacre by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) then took place, in which the ENDF killed from 70 to 170 civilians in Bora on 8-10 January 2021. Soldiers went house to house in Bora and carried out the executions. After the killing, the soldiers stopped families from taking their dead. Burials were only permitted two days later; one person buried 26 corpses in the graveyard of the Abune Aregawi Church. The executions mostly took the form of removing a man from his house, making him kneel, and shooting him in the head. In the aftermath, the killing spree reached nearby villages Adi Shegla, Chamela and Chelena.

A mother testified to the EHRC–OHCHR Tigray investigation that her son was executed in the 8 January massacre for being a suspected TPLF fighter.

Perpetrators

Survivors interpreted the identity of the perpetrators as Ethiopian soldiers.

Victims

The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation” mentions 187 victims, of which 64 have been identified.

Reactions

The "Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation", that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly with regard to its Annex A, which includes the Bora massacre.

Mulu Nega, the chief executive of Tigray's transitional government, and Daniel Bekele, head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), did not respond to LA Times' requests for comment. After months of denial by the Ethiopian authorities that massacres occurred in Tigray, the EHRC–OHCHR Tigray investigation was announced in March 2021, and published its report on 3 November 2021.

References

1. Tghat, 12 March 2021. The Bora Massacre in southern Tigray by the Ethiopian army
2. ^ Los Angeles Times, 19 March, 2021. In an out-of-sight war, a massacre comes to light
3. ^ Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
4. ^ Tibebu, Israel (2021-11-03). "Report of the EHRC/OHCHR Joint Investigation into Alleged Violations of International Human Rights, Humanitarian and Refugee Law Committed by all Parties to the Conflict in the Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia" (PDF). EHRC, OHCHR. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
5. TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
6. The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
7. EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region
8. CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre
9. The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified
10. France24, 18 March 2021: UN rights chief agrees to joint Tigray probe

External links

• World Peace Foundation: Starving Tigray

v t e Tigray war
Background	History History of Western Tigray Welkait question 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia Eritrean–Ethiopian War border conflict Elections in Ethiopia 2005 election / violence 2014–16 Oromo protests 2016–18 state of emergency Resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn Prelude Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present) 2018 Eritrea–Ethiopia summit Tripartite Agreement Formation of the Prosperity Party COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia Hachalu Hundessa riots 2020 Tigray regional election
Timeline	Northern Command attacks Battle of Humera Asmara rocket attacks Mekelle offensive Operation Alula TDF–OLA joint offensive 2021–2022 Ethiopian state of emergency ENDF National Unity Offensive Battle of Shire
Impact	Reactions 2021 Ethiopian general election Spillover Sudan 2022 al-Shabaab invasion of Ethiopia
Peace process	Overview Ethiopia–Tigray peace agreement Interim Administration
Groups	Key actors Ethiopian federal government  Eritrea Involvement  Tigray / TPLF  Amhara  Afar Institutions Ethiopian National Defense Force Transitional Government of Tigray Tigray Defense Forces Eritrean Defence Forces Militias Fano UFEFCF Human rights organisations EHRC Inquiry Board Non-state EHRCO ERCS HRCE Seb Hidri Yikono
Human rights	Casualties Casualties of the Tigray war Discrimination Ethnic profiling Internment camps War crimes Massacres 2020 Mai Kadra Humera Adigrat Zalambessa Dengelat 1st Wukro Hitsats 1st Mekelle Axum Goda Hagere Selam Ziban Gedena Gijet 2021 Bora Debano Mahbere Dego 2nd Wukro Kola Tembien Zamr Gira Aras Guh Togoga Galikoma Chenna Kobo 2nd Mekelle Kombolcha 2022 Dedebit Berhale 3rd Mekelle Adi Daero Sexual violence Hawzen Destruction of Heritage Aksum Debre Damo Negash mosque Predictions of a genocide in Ethiopia Refugees/IDPs Hamdayet (Ethiopians) Refoulement of Eritrean refugees Shire Food Famine in northern Ethiopia (2020–present) Investigations ACHPR Tigray investigation EHRC–OHCHR Tigray investigation ICHREE
Category / Commons

12°53′42″N 39°20′29″E / 12.89501°N 39.34152°E / 12.89501; 39.34152

• 2021 massacres of the Tigray War
• January 2021 crimes in Africa
• Massacres committed by Ethiopia
• Ethiopian war crimes during the Tigray War
• January 2021 events in Ethiopia
• Massacres of Tigrayans