Madrid: Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières - MSF) has released the results of its internal investigation into the tragic deaths of three of its aid workers in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in 2021, during the peak of the civil conflict. The report points to compelling evidence suggesting the three were deliberately executed by members of the Tigrayan armed forces.
The victims 35-year-old Spanish national María Hernández Matas, and Ethiopian nationals Yohannes Halefom Reda (32) and Tedros Gebremariam (31) were on a humanitarian mission assessing healthcare needs in central Tigray when they were brutally killed. MSF Spain's General Director Raquel Ayora confirmed the harrowing details: the workers were shot multiple times at close range, with evidence indicating they were directly facing their attackers.
Despite four years of persistent dialogue including 20 formal meetings with Tigray authorities MSF says it received no credible explanation or accountability from local officials. As a result, the organization decided to publish its independent findings. Ayora emphasized that the aid workers were clearly identifiable, wearing MSF uniforms and traveling in a marked vehicle displaying the charity’s logo and flag.
The report further highlights that the killings occurred in the context of escalating hostility toward humanitarian personnel, with both Ethiopian and Eritrean military forces reportedly viewing aid organizations with suspicion. The investigation claims satellite imagery and multiple eyewitness accounts place an Ethiopian military convoy at the location of the killings. One account even alleges that a commander gave a verbal order to attack the MSF team.
Although the report leans heavily toward Ethiopian army involvement, MSF clarifies that the “extent and precise nature” of military responsibility remains uncertain and demands further investigation.
The broader backdrop to this tragedy is the Tigray conflict, which erupted in late 2020 after a political fallout between Tigray’s regional leadership and Ethiopia’s federal government. Eritrean forces joined the Ethiopian military in a campaign that led to devastating humanitarian consequences. A 2022 peace deal, brokered by the African Union, marked the official end of hostilities, but not before an estimated 600,000 people had died from violence, hunger, and medical neglect.
Doctors Without Borders has reiterated its call for accountability and justice not just for its fallen colleagues but for all victims of the conflict who were caught in the crossfire of one of Africa’s deadliest modern wars.