Togoga airstrike

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Togoga airstrike
ተጎጓ ደብድብ ኣየር
Part of Tigray War
Togoga victim in Ayder hospital VOAT 25 june 2021.jpg
A victim of the airstrike [1]
Tigray Region Ethiopia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Togoga
Ethiopia adm location map.svg
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Togoga
Location of Togoga in Tigray (Ethiopia)
Location Togoga or Togogwa (Tigrinya: ቶጎጓ), Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Date22 June 2021
Attack type
Deaths64+
Injured184
Perpetrators Flag of Ethiopia.svg 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]

Contents

Attack

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]

Victims

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 ]

Reactions

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References

  1. 1 2 Voice of America – Tigrinya, 24 June 2021: ኣብ ቶጎጋ ትግራይ ብዝተፈጸመ መጥቓዕቲ ዝቆሰሉ ናብ ዓይደር ሆስፒታል ምእታው ምጅማሮም ተገሊጹ
  2. 1 2 "Ethiopia says it targeted rebels, not civilians in Tigray attack". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  3. "Ethiopia: Dozens reportedly killed and injured after airstrike on Tigray village". Sky News.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Witnesses: Airstrike in Ethiopia's Tigray kills more than 50". AP NEWS. 23 June 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Scores killed in Ethiopian airstrike on Tigray market". TheGuardian.com . 24 June 2021.
  6. "Who are the Tigray fighters, and why is Ethiopia at war with them?". DW. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  7. Mediapart, 24 June 2021: Éthiopie : le double jeu de la France
  8. "EPO WEEKLY: 19-25 JUNE 2021". Ethiopian peace Observatory. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  9. "Ethiopian Airstrike Hits Market, Killing 64 People". The Organization for world peace. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  10. "Calls for inquiry as dozens killed, injured, in Ethiopia market airstrike". France 24. 23 June 2021.
  11. "Medical official: air strike kills at least 43 in Ethiopia's Tigray". Reuters. 23 June 2021.

13°33′46″N39°17′42″E / 13.5627°N 39.2949°E / 13.5627; 39.2949