Togoga airstrike ተጎጓ ደብድብ ኣየር | |
---|---|
Part of Tigray War | |
Location | Togoga or Togogwa (Tigrinya: ቶጎጓ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia |
Date | 22 June 2021 |
Attack type | |
Deaths | 64+ |
Injured | 184 |
Perpetrators | Ethiopian Air Force [2] |
The Togoga airstrike was an airstrike by the Ethiopian Air Force on the town of Togoga in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, on a market day, during the Tigray War, on 22 June 2021. [3] 64 people were killed and 180 others were injured. [4] [5]
At 1 PM on 22 June 2021, the marketplace of Togoga, a village in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region, was hit by an airstrike killing 64, wounding 184. [2] [5] [6]
Tuesday is market day in Togogwa. There were many people in the market, between 3000-5000 people from the wider surroundings (up to 15-20 km away, all people are on foot); the market is a weekly market, but in June there are always many people in the market because it is sowing time, and people come to exchange or buy seed. [7] [ verification needed ]
Ambulances attempting to reach Togoga were blocked by soldiers near Tukhul, but another convoy of ambulances managed to reach via a different route. One convoy of ambulances were even shot at by Ethiopian troops two separate times. Ambulances managed to bring 25 of the wounded (including toddlers) to Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekelle a day later. [4] [1]
The Ethiopian Government says they targeted the market because a group of TDF fighters were wearing civilian clothes commemorating the 33 anniversary Hawzen massacre locally known as Martyrs’ Day. [8] [9]
Most victims were not from Togogwa itself, they were visitors of the market. After the attack, relatives and friends collected the dead bodies, prepared makeshift stretchers, and carried them to their home village. This creates delays for the elaboration of the list of victims. According to local witnesses 33 victims have been identified.[ citation needed ]
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