Eritrea: 40th Anniversary of Hazemo Massacre Commemorated

26 July 2007
Posted to the web 26 July 2007

Mendefera

The 40th anniversary of Hazemo Massacre in 1967 during the colonial rule of Haileselassie was commemorated in Aiba, Tsorona sub-zone, on 24th July.

In the face of growing popular opposition against Ethiopia's colonial rule, the regime of the period committed brutal atrocities against the inhabitants of Hazemo and its surroundings as it did in other parts of the country, including indiscriminate aerial bombardment.

At the time of the massacre in Hazemo, 172 innocent civilians were killed, 47 villages brunt along with property and over 32,000 domestic animals slaughtered, as well as nearly 600 families displaced and forced to flee.

Speaking on the occasion, the Commander of Operation Zone 3, Maj. General Omar Hassan Tewil, recalled the barbaric acts committed by Ethiopian colonial authorities starting from the days of Haileselassie's rule. Despite the enemy's cruel acts, however, the Eritrean people stepped up the liberation struggle.