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February 2021 Kola Tembien massacre
Part of Tigray War
Kola TembienShow map of Tigray RegionKola TembienShow map of EthiopiaLocation of Kola Tembien in Tigray (Ethiopia)
Location	Kola Tembien (Tigrinya: ቆላ ተምቤን), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date	10 February 2021
Target	Tigrayans
Attack type	Mass killing Ethnic cleansing
Deaths	182 civilians
Perpetrators	Ethiopian National Defence Force Eritrean Defence Forces

The February 2021 Kola Tembien massacre was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Kola Tembien (Tigrinya: ቆላ ተምቤን) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 10 February 2021. Kola Tembien is a district that belongs to the Central zone of Tigray.

Massacre

The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) killed dozens of civilians in a killing spree across villages in Kola Tembien (Central Tigray) on 10 February 2021.

n February 10, all the terrors of Ethiopia’s civil war descended on the town and at least a dozen surrounding villages. (…) ivilians, mainly farmers, had been massacred in Abiy Addi and the villages of Adi Asmiean, Bega Sheka, Adichilo, Amberswa, Wetlaqo, Semret, Guya, Zelakme, Arena, Mitsawerki, Yeqyer and Shilum Emni - villages about 60 miles from Tigray's capital.
— Lucy Kassa, The Telegraph,

Typical massacres committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers in the Tigray war are (1) revenge when they lose a battle; (2) to terrorise and extract information about whereabouts of TPLF leaders; (3) murder of suspected family members of TDF fighters; and (4) terrorising the Tigray society as a whole such as in case of mass killings in churches. The Kola Tembien massacres were particularly a revenge for lost battles further west in the Jawmaro mountains, while terrorising the Tigrayan society at the same time.

Perpetrators

The Telegraph reported the perpetrators as being Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers.

Victims

The Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation mentions 122 victims, and The Telegraph 182, of which 18 have been identified.

Reactions

Eritrea’s information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, could not address this massacre specifically, but stated that the government of Eritrea has zero tolerance for and never targets civilians in war. ‘’The Telegraph’’ asked the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s office to comment but received no answer. The “Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation”, that documented this massacre received international media attention, particularly regarding its Annex A, that lists massacres in the Tigray War.

After months of denial by the Ethiopian authorities that massacres occurred in Tigray, a joint investigation by OHCHR and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission was announced in March 2021.

References

1. ^ Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Nyssen, J., 2021. Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation
2. ^ The Telegraph, 7 April 2021: 'Their bodies were torn into pieces': Ethiopian and Eritrean troops accused of massacre in Tigray
3. ^ The World radio (2 April 2021): Counting the victims in Tigray
4. TGHAT, A compilation of the verified list of civilian victims from different sources
5. EuroNews, 2 April 2021 – See film embedded in the news item: G7 'seriously concerned' about human rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region
6. CBC, 2 April 2021: As It Happens: The Friday Edition (from 28:00 to 35:30) Tigray, Ethiopia Massacre
7. The Guardian, 2 April 2021: Ethiopia: 1,900 people killed in massacres in Tigray identified
8. 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
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13°37′16″N 38°49′26″E / 13.6211°N 38.8238°E / 13.6211; 38.8238

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