Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says it is horrified by the brutal murder of three of its staff members in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray.
The medical aid group said it lost contact with the team as they were travelling on Thursday afternoon.
The bodies of the two Ethiopian staff members and their Spanish colleague were then found on Friday morning a few metres away from their empty vehicle.
The team included:
- Maria Hernandez, 34, from Spain – an emergency co-ordinator who started working for MSF in 2015
- Yohannes Halefom Reda, 31, from Ethiopia – a co-ordination assistant who joined MSF in February
- Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael, 31, from Ethiopia – a driver who joined MSF in May.
“No words can truly convey all our sadness, shock and outrage against this horrific attack,” MSF said in a statement.
“Maria, Yohaness and Tedros were in Tigray providing assistance to people and it is unthinkable that they paid for this work with their lives,” it added.
There has been no independent confirmation of who carried out the attack.
A statement from the Ethiopian government blamed what it called “the irresponsible group” – an apparent reference to the rebels it has been fighting since November.
It suggested the attack proved the government had been right to call for humanitarian agencies to be accompanied by military escorts.
Throughout the eight-month conflict in Tigray all sides have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.
This week fighting in Tigray escalated. Rebel forces say they have seized some towns, and the Ethiopian military carried out an air strike, reportedly killing dozens of people.
