Tigray Genocide

What is the Tigray Genocide?

Historical and geographic context

The Tigrayans are an ethnic community in northern Ethiopia, bordering Eritrea and Sudan.
From late 2020, a war and communications blackout coincided with a de facto blockade that restricted food, fuel, and medicine into Tigray, driving widespread hunger and preventable deaths. (OCHA)

International recognition

A legal analysis by the New Lines Institute (2024) found a reasonable basis to believe genocide and related actswere committed against Tigrayans, with possible state responsibility. (New Lines Institute)
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in Western Tigray. (Human Rights Watch)
The UN Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) reported mass killings, rape, starvation, forced displacement, and arbitrary detention, and warned serious violations continued. (OHCHR)
Survivors have filed universal jurisdiction complaints in Germany against senior Ethiopian and Eritrean officials (March 2025). (legalactionworldwide.org)

Eight core patterns of harm

1) Starvation by siege

Aid, fuel, and cash were blocked for long periods; far fewer than the minimum daily aid trucks entered Tigray, producing acute hunger and famine conditions. (OCHA)

2) Mass killings and massacres

Independent investigations documented the killing of hundreds of civilians in Axum by Eritrean troops, alongside other attacks on towns and villages. (Amnesty International)

3) Ethnic cleansing and expulsions in Western Tigray

Authorities and allied forces forcibly removed Tigrayan residents through killings, detention, sexual violence, and denial of aid. (Human Rights Watch)

4) Systematic sexual and reproductive violence

Medical records and health worker testimony show mass rape, forced pregnancy, sterilization, and deliberate transmission of infections, with crimes continuing beyond the ceasefire. (PHR)

5) Destruction and looting of civilian infrastructure

Hospitals, factories, farms, and services were attacked or stripped, degrading community survival. (Human Rights Watch)

6) Arbitrary detention and torture

UN experts documented widespread arbitrary detention, torture, and other cruel treatment of civilians. (OHCHR)

7) Ongoing abuses after the truce

Reports detail the continued presence of Eritrean forces in parts of Tigray, abductions, theft, and restrictions that impede returns and recovery. (AP News)

8) Mass displacement

Millions were uprooted at the height of the war; assessments recorded over two million people displaced in and from Tigray during 2021, with displacement persisting across Ethiopia. (UNHCR Data Portal)

Reports and resources

New Lines Institute (2024): Legal report concluding a reasonable basis to believe genocide and related acts against Tigrayans. (New Lines Institute)
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (2022): We Will Erase You From This Land on crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in Western Tigray. (Human Rights Watch)
UN ICHREE (2023): Findings on mass violations including starvation, sexual violence, forced displacement, and arbitrary detention. (OHCHR)
Physicians for Human Rights and OJAH (2025): Medical evidence of conflict related sexual and reproductive violence. (PHR)
OCHA access snapshots and updates (2021–2022): Evidence of the de facto blockade and restricted aid flows. (OCHA)
UNHCR and partners: Situation updates on displacement and protection. (UNHCR Data Portal)
Universal jurisdiction filings: Legal Action Worldwide press release and related announcements in Germany. (legalactionworldwide.org)