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Adi Daero Massacre: Tigray’s Day of Eternal Remembrance
October 27, 2022 – A Genocide Etched in Memory
A Tragedy that Shook Tigray
On 27 October 2022, the Eritrean Air Force bombed the town of Adi Daero in northwestern Tigray, killing scores of civilians and reducing homes to rubble. Survivors told BBC and local media that they pulled children from collapsed buildings with their bare hands.
Senior Tigrayan officials reported that an Eritrean MiG-29 jet carried out the strikes. Families were obliterated in seconds, leaving a haunting silence where once there was life.
Part of a Pattern of Genocide
The Adi Daero massacre was not an isolated incident. It followed a chain of atrocities committed by Eritrean troops and air forces during the Tigray War:
Axum Massacre (November 2020): Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch concluded that Eritrean forces executed hundreds of civilians in one of the worst massacres of the conflict.
Shire (October 2022): The International Rescue Committee (IRC) confirmed one of its staff was killed in indiscriminate shelling.
Mariam Shewito (2021): Associated Press interviews with survivors documented executions of villagers, including women and children.
From Mekelle in 1998—when Eritrean jets struck an elementary school—to Adi Daero in 2022, the pattern is unmistakable: Eritrea has used air power not against armies, but against civilians.
International Law Violated
According to human rights organizations, these atrocities meet the definitions of:
War Crimes: indiscriminate attacks on civilians, banned under the Geneva Conventions.
Crimes Against Humanity: systematic killings across multiple towns and villages.
Genocide: the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Tigrayan people, as defined by the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
A Day of Remembrance and Defiance
For Tigrayans worldwide, October 27th is more than a date. It is:
A memorial day for victims of Adi Daero and all massacres.
A symbol of resistance against the genocidal project of the Eritrean regime under Isaias Afwerki.
A warning to the world that silence enables atrocity.
A Call to Action
The international community must act:
- Launch independent investigations through the International Criminal Court (ICC).
- Formally recognize the Tigray Genocide.
- Sanction and isolate Eritrea’s regime until justice is delivered.
- Support Tigray Remembrance Day every October 27th.
Never Forgotten
The Adi Daero massacre is carved into the soul of Tigray. It binds generations together in the vow:
“We will not forgive. We will not forget.”
📌 Source references:
BBC News (Oct 2022) – reporting on Adi Daero airstrikes.
Human Rights Watch & Amnesty International – reports on Axum massacre (2021).
Associated Press (2021) – coverage of Mariam Shewito atrocities.
International Rescue Committee (2022) – statement on Shire staff killing.
Reuters & The New York Times (1998) – reporting on Eritrean bombing of Mekelle.
