MSF Reports Ethiopian Army Executed Three Aid Workers in Tigray

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has confirmed that three of its aid workers were deliberately executed by Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) during a humanitarian mission in Tigray in June 2021. The victims, María Hernández Matas, Yohannes Halefom Reda, and Tedros Gebremariam, were clearly identifiable as humanitarian workers, wearing MSF vests and traveling in a vehicle marked with the MSF logo, when they were intercepted, shot multiple times at close range, and their vehicle was burned. MSF's internal review, supported by witness testimonies and satellite imagery, shows that the killings were intentional and not the result of crossfire or a tragic mistake. Despite over 20 high-level meetings and requests for a credible investigation, the Ethiopian government has failed to provide answers or conclude an investigation, raising concerns about political will. The Tigray conflict, which involved the ENDF and Eritrean forces, lasted from 2020 to 2022 and resulted in approximately 600,000 deaths. MSF has condemned the Ethiopian government's failure to fulfill moral obligations to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the killings.