Medical charity demands investigation into killing of three staff in Tigray

JUBA – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) an independent and international medical humanitarian organization is demanding parties to the conflict in Ethiopia to carry out an immediate investigation into brutal killing of its staff members.

On June 24, three staff of Médecins Sans Frontières were brutally murder by unknown attackers in restive Tigray region of Ethiopia.

The victims were identified as a Spanish national, Maria Hernandez, and Ethiopian national Yohannes Halefom Reda, and Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael.

Dr. Christos Christou, MSF international president called on Ethiopian’s parties to the conflict to hold the perpetrators of the crimes against three aid workers accountable.

“Of course we don’t know who did that and why and what was the message they wanted to give to us and that is why we are formally requesting an investigation to both sides that were involved in this armed conflict,” Dr. Christou told reporters in Juba on Friday.

“This happened on On the 24 of June, we lost contact and we were looking for them and on the 25th of June we found three dead bodies very close to our cars,” Dr. Christou added.

He said it was very sad to lose the lives of people at a time when war victims needed humanitarian aids.

“The Ethiopian government, his allies and Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) and Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), we want these investigations and we need answers for us, our people, and families of our members and we needed for the population in order again to gain access,” he said.

Since the conflict in Tigray began in November 2020, medical staff and aid workers have been directly targeted, while health facilities and ambulances have been looted, destroyed, or exploited for military purposes.

Aid organizations, including MSF, have been repeatedly undermined by public statements casting unwarranted suspicion on their activities, thereby jeopardizing the safety of their staff on the ground.