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Mekelle kindergarten airstrike

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Mekelle kindergarten airstrike
Part of the Tigray War
LocationRES Kids Paradise kindergarten, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
DateAugust 26, 2022
12:40pm (EAT)
Deaths7 killed[1]
Injured14 injured[2]
Perpetrator Ethiopian Air Force (per TPLF and UNICEF)

On August 26, 2022, an airstrike allegedly from the Ethiopian National Defense Force hit a kindergarten in Tigrayan capital of Mekelle, killing seven people including two children.

Prelude

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In 2020, following years of heightened tensions between the democratic Ethiopian government, led by Abiy Ahmed, and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the dominant party in the Tigray Region which had previously led a dictatorship in Ethiopia, clashes broke out between the TPLF and Ethiopia, beginning the Tigray War. An initial Ethiopian government offensive captured Mekelle, the Tigrayan capital, and saw the war escalate into a low-level insurgency.[3] In 2021, a Tigrayan offensive reached the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital, but ultimately was pushed back.[4] A ceasefire was initiated in March 2022, but by August, the peace talks began to break down.[5] Just days before the airstrike, fighting erupted again, with both sides accusing each other of initiating.[6]

Airstrike

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Following the resurgence of fighting, Ethiopian forces bombarded the Tigrayan capital of Mekelle on August 26.[7] The airstrikes were some of the first on the capital since March.[7] In the attack, a kindergarten was hit and destroyed, along with the nearby civilian compound.[8] According to aid workers on the scene, the strike took place at RES Kids Paradise at around 12:40pm local time, a local kindergarten, and three loud booms rang out.[8][9]

Aftermath

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Initially, four children were killed and two were injured.[7] The death toll later rose to seven killed and fourteen injured, including children.[1] Following the airstrikes and renewed clashes, humanitarian aid in Tigray region was suspended.[1]

The Ethiopian government claimed that they had only hit places that they alleged the TPLF was manufacturing or storing arms.[10] The head of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, issued a message condemning the airstrike and called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities."[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Confronting Ethiopia's Abusive Siege". Human Rights Watch. 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  2. ^ "Atrocity Alert No. 315: Ethiopia, Libya and International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances". Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. 2022-08-31.
  3. ^ Niekerk, Phillip van (2023-02-21). "ANALYSIS – AFRICA, UNSCRAMBLED: Ethiopia's Tigray war and the 'big lie' behind the century-defining 600,000 civilian deaths". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  4. ^ Houreld, Katharine (2021-10-09). "Airstrikes against Tigrayan forces intensify in Ethiopia's Amhara region -TPLF spokesman". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  5. ^ "Ethiopia: Tigray Rebels Lack 'Interest' in Peace Talks". VOA. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  6. ^ "Fighting in northern Ethiopia shatters months-long truce". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 2022-08-24. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  7. ^ a b c "UNICEF slams Ethiopia air strike that 'hit kindergarten'". France 24. 2022-08-27. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  8. ^ a b "An airstrike on a kindergarten and the end to Ethiopia's uneasy peace". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  9. ^ a b "UN condemns deadly air raid that 'hit kindergarten' in Tigray". Al Jazeera. 27 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Ethiopia Launches Air Raids On Tigray Region, Kills Children, Destroys Houses | Sahara Reporters". saharareporters.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.

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