An internal investigation by international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has concluded that three of its humanitarian workers — a Spaniard and two Ethiopians — were executed in Ethiopia’s Tigray region during the height of the conflict in 2021, and that the Ethiopian army was responsible.
The damning report, released four years after the killings, points to Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) troops as the alleged perpetrators, stating that eyewitness accounts, satellite imagery, and multiple sources confirm the military’s presence at the scene of the attack.
“They were executed,” said Raquel Ayora, General Director of MSF Spain, in an interview with the BBC.
“They were facing their attackers and were shot at very close range — several times.”
The victims — María Hernández Matas (35), a Spanish national; Yohannes Halefom Reda (32); and Tedros Gebremariam (31) — were traveling in central Tigray on June 24, 2021, to assess medical needs when they were killed. MSF says the team was clearly identifiable, wearing marked vests and traveling in a vehicle branded with the organization’s logos and flag.
Despite holding over 20 face-to-face meetings with the Ethiopian government over four years, MSF says no credible explanation has been provided. The release of the report marks a public turning point in the group’s long quest for accountability.
Ms. Ayora described the loss as deeply painful, noting that Matas was beloved in the region. Mr. Tedros had just welcomed a baby girl before his death — his widow later named the child Maria, in honour of the slain Spanish colleague.
The Tigray conflict, which began in 2020 following a fallout between regional leaders and the federal government, spiraled into a devastating civil war involving Eritrean troops fighting alongside Ethiopian forces. The conflict ended in late 2022 with an African Union-brokered peace deal. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU envoy, estimated the death toll at 600,000, including from fighting, famine, and the collapse of health services.
MSF stated that at the time of the incident, humanitarian workers were increasingly being targeted by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, and tensions with aid agencies were rising. The charity’s findings suggest the killings took place while ENDF troops were retreating from battle, with both civilian and military witnesses confirming their presence on the same road.
One witness, the report adds, even claims to have heard a commander order the attack on the aid workers’ vehicle.
While MSF stops short of assigning individual responsibility, it maintains that “a large body of corroborating evidence” links the military to the killings.
The Ethiopian government has yet to respond publicly to the accusations.
As pressure mounts for accountability, the international community is expected to watch closely how the Ethiopian authorities respond to what is now one of the most damning humanitarian crime allegations since the end of the Tigray conflict.