NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Dutch aid group says one of its staffers was “murdered” during the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, bringing the number of humanitarian workers killed during the nearly two months of deadly unrest to five.
The statement by ZOA International on Wednesday did not say when the 52-year-old staffer was killed at the Hitsats refugee camp, part of a network of camps hosting nearly 100,000 refugees from Eritrea close to the Eritrean border. The group did not immediately respond to questions, including about who was to blame.
ZOA International said it was “deeply shocked” by the killing in the conflict between Ethiopian forces and allied militias and forces of the Tigray region, whose leadership dominated the country’s government for nearly three decades before being sidelined by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since 2018.
On Dec. 11, four other killings of workers for humanitarian organizations were reported. The International Rescue Committee said it was trying to confirm details around the killing of a colleague in the Hitsats camp. Separately, the Danish Refugee Council said three staffers who worked as guards at a project site were killed. It was not clear where, but the group also supports Eritrean refugees.
The fate of the refugees, and the alleged involvement of Eritrean forces in the conflict, have been a major source of alarm since the fighting began on Nov. 4 and the Tigray region was cut off from the outside world. Thousands of the refugees fled the camps, but Ethiopia’s government earlier this month said it was sending them back, causing international shock.
Even now, communications and transport links have not fully resumed, and the United Nations and other aid groups have expressed concern about reports of ongoing fighting in the weeks since Abiy declared victory. While international aid reached at least two of the refugee camps last week, it is not clear whether Hitsats can yet be reached.
Ethiopia’s government has denied the persistent allegations of Eritrean forces’ involvement in the conflict, while the United States has said it believes Eritrean forces are active and called it a “grave development.”
The Eritrean government, described by watchdogs as one of the world's most repressive, has remained largely silent.
“Eritrea’s detractors continue to indulge in mindless invective against the country,” Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel tweeted Wednesday, with no details.