A senior official at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said three of its staff were “executed” by Ethiopian government troops while delivering humanitarian aid in the country’s northern Tigray region during the height of the conflict four years ago.
Raquel Ayora, general director of MSF Spain, said the organisation had reached its conclusion after carrying out a thorough investigation into the killings of 35-year-old Spanish aid worker María Hernández Matas, and two Ethiopian colleagues—32-year-old Yohannes Halefom Reda and 31-year-old Tedros Gebremariam—on 24 June 2021.
“They were executed,” said Ms Ayora. “They were facing their attackers \[and] were shot at very close range… several times.”
MSF said it had repeatedly engaged with the Ethiopian government over the past four years, holding at least 20 face-to-face meetings, but that officials had “failed to provide a credible account” of the deaths. The charity has now released its findings publicly, calling the killings “intentional and targeted.”
The team had been travelling in central Tigray to assess urgent medical needs when they were attacked. According to Ms Ayora, all three were wearing MSF vests and travelling in a vehicle clearly marked with the charity’s flag and logos on both sides. She said: “So, they [Ethiopian troops] knew that they were killing humanitarian aid workers.”
She also said the group’s route had been communicated in advance to all warring parties.
The conflict in Tigray began in 2020 following a major breakdown between Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigrayan leaders. Eritrean troops fought alongside the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) in a war that lasted two years and reportedly claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. A peace deal brokered by the African Union brought the conflict to an end in late 2022, with the AU’s envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, estimating the death toll at around 600,000—from fighting, hunger, and lack of healthcare.
The MSF staff were killed during a period when hostility toward aid workers had intensified. Ms Ayora described all three as “very professional and passionate”, noting that Ms Matas had worked in the region before the war and was “very much loved” by the local population.
She added that Mr Tedros’ wife had recently given birth to a daughter at the time of his death, and the baby was named Maria in honour of his slain colleague.
MSF said the bodies of Ms Matas and Mr Yohannes were found between 100 and 400 metres away from their burned vehicle on the road from Abi Adi to Yech’illa. Mr Tedros’ body was discovered by the vehicle, consistent with MSF policy for drivers to remain close to their cars. The vehicle had been riddled with bullets and set alight.
“We don’t know if they were called for interrogation or they decided to engage with the soldiers,” Ms Ayora said, referring to why the two had left the vehicle.
MSF’s investigation included satellite imagery, eyewitness accounts, and publicly available data on military movements, placing ENDF troops at the “precise location” of the killings.
The report cited witnesses who claimed they heard an officer notify a local commander about an approaching white vehicle, after which the commander allegedly gave the order to fire. The vehicle was then said to have turned towards Abi Adi and stopped, prompting further commands to “go and catch them” and “remove them.”
In mid-2022, officials from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice reportedly told MSF that a preliminary investigation found no government troops at the scene of the killings—but the officials allegedly refused to put this in writing.
Ms Ayora said the organisation continued to engage with the government in order to help end “impunity”, especially amid the rising number of aid workers being killed in global conflicts.
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