The Togoga Massacre
On June 22, 2021, an Ethiopian Air Force airstrike struck a busy marketplace in Togoga, a town about 25 kilometers northwest of Mekelle in Tigray. Witnesses, medical workers and survivors told local and international media that the attack struck civilians gathered at the market, killing and injuring scores of people. The BBC reported that doctors had documented at least 60 deaths and more than 40 injuries in the immediate aftermath, including children. The Ethiopian military denied targeting civilians and said its aircraft had conducted strikes against what it described as military targets.
Accounts reported by The Associated Press and PBS NewsHour provided further evidence of the devastating aftermath. A doctor who reached Togoga said that most of the victims he encountered were mothers, children and elderly men, contradicting the military’s claim that the strike had targeted combatants. Health workers also reported that soldiers prevented medical teams from reaching the scene for hours and that a Red Cross ambulance attempting to reach the wounded was stopped. More than 100 people were reportedly wounded, while bodies continued to be recovered and survivors arrived at hospitals days after the attack. The International Committee of the Red Cross described the evacuation of critically injured victims as a matter of life and death, while the United Nations called for an investigation.
Our heroic Air Force has carried out an effective operation.
— Ethiopian Defense Force spokesperson Colonel Getnet Adane
ጀግናው አየር ሀይላችን ውጤታማ ስራ ሰርቷል
— የኢትዮጵያ መከላከያ ሰራዊት ቃል አቀባይኮ/ል ጌትነት አዳነ
A doctor’s account of the Togoga Massacre
Tigray families wait for information after alleged airstrike on village outside Mekele | AFP
Eldana died at the age of three due to complication from an injury sustained during the airstrike
The following images of the massacre were obtained by Tigray Media House
