Médecins Sans Frontières says an internal review shows Ethiopian National Defence Force soldiers intentionally killed three clearly identified MSF staff during a mission in central Tigray on 24 June 2021.
- Victims: Spaniard María Hernández Matas (35) and Ethiopians Yohannes Halefom Reda (32) and Tedros Gebremariam (31) were shot at close range after their marked MSF vehicle was stopped near Abi Adi. Their bodies were found 400 m from the burnt-out car.
- Evidence: Witnesses, satellite imagery and a survivor’s testimony place a retreating ENDF convoy at the scene; one witness heard a commander order the attack.
- Government silence: MSF says it held 20 face-to-face meetings with Ethiopian officials but received “no credible account” and is publishing its findings because “justice has stalled.”
- Wider context: The killings came as hostility toward aid workers spiked during the 2020-22 Tigray war, which AU mediator Olusegun Obasanjo says cost about 600,000 lives through violence, hunger and lack of healthcare.
MSF is demanding a transparent state investigation and accountability for what it calls a “targeted execution of humanitarian staff.”