N環球 
HRW: Ethiopia Tigray airstrike that hurt 13 civilians should be probed as possible war crime
Human Rights Watch said on September 25 that an apparent Ethiopian government airstrike on a residential area of Mekelle, Tigray's capital, on August 20 wounded 13 civilians, including seven children, and struck a neighborhood with no evident military targets.
Why it matters
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that the airstrike hit the Daero neighborhood of Mekelle, Tigray's regional capital, where there were no evident military targets, making the attack unlawfully indiscriminate. The group says it should be investigated as a possible war crime. It is the first independent airstrike investigation since hostilities resumed in northern Ethiopia.
Full report
Between August 21 and September 6, HRW interviewed three survivors of the attack, two medical workers, and two residents who visited the site. It also analyzed satellite imagery and verified photographs and videos of the attack site and remnants of an air-dropped munition. Blast and fragmentation injuries were consistent with the detonation of an air-dropped general-purpose bomb. HRW wrote to the army's spokesperson with questions but had received no response by publication.
A second airstrike on the same day hit Quiha, a neighborhood near Mekelle's airport that has been used for military purposes. There were no reported casualties in the second strike. HRW called on Ethiopian authorities to impartially and transparently investigate the attack, prosecute those responsible for any wrongdoing, and adequately compensate the victims.
"The resumption of hostilities in northern Ethiopia heightens concerns about unlawful attacks and the grave threat posed to civilians," said Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "To prevent further harm to civilians, the Ethiopian military needs to abide by the laws of war and ensure that they take all feasible precautions before carrying out any attack."
Context: fighting erupted on September 22 between the Ethiopian military and forces aligned with the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions; government forces seized Mekelle's airport and suspended flights on September 23 (reported on this site).
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