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Remembering Hauzein!!!
June 22/2007
It was June 22/1988 Wednesday morning at about 10.o’clock when Two helicopters and Two MiGs in circled thousands and thousands of people coming to trade in animals, grain, salt, coffee and other commodities in the city of Hauzien in Tigray. Though hauzien was attacked eight times in the mid 1980 before, no one was expecting to be attacked this savagely by air raid on a market day with so many people doing their daily business on daylight by their own government. And as always the market was packed with several thousands of people from all over the country.
The bombing started in the late morning and continued until nightfall, following a carefully coordinated plan. The MiGs concentrating on the markets: meanwhile the helicopters circled round trapping people as they tried to escape, cutting them down like leaves. The bombers used high explosives and cluster bombs and some burning liquid: presumably napalm or phosphorous, the helicopters used machine guns and rockets. It was so dark the smoke hung over the town there was some thing that fell from the sky that burns your flash. Most people and animals were burned by something that seemed like rubber. It burned as it dropped off from the bombers. The evidence of eye witnesses suggests that a minimum of 2500 innocent men and women and children where deliberately killed in hauzien by this aerial bombardment. Many others were severely injured and maimed, traumatized. The systematic nature of the brutal atrocity attack was carried out with careful planning of succession of MiGs and helicopters to be present at hauzien, Far away from the nearest airfield, in coordinated shifts throughout an entire day. Hauzien had no military significance at the time, it wasn’t a rebel-controlled area as they say, No TPLF fighter in the area with anti-aircraft artillery to make an attack impossible to target civilians, there is no point in bombing this town unless you want to use this bombs for killing civilians. But it was a deliberate act of terrorism against the people of tigray, in part revenge for the military successes of the TPLF over the previous months. And in part they thought they will “softening them up” for the government offensive through nearby areas. When the Truth came out and the allegation were made by Sunday Times of London at the time the government went on a strong denial. Unfortunately for the people of tigray there was ample evidence that the bombardment went on day in day out with a callous disregard for human life. Repeated bombings are carried out in waves, deliberately aimed against civilians in Hauzien and through out tigray. Bomber airplanes frequently fly over rebel-held territory and attack the productive base of the rural life.
Our people in rural or urban part of the region of tigray have being bombed while they plowed their fields, walking to work, kids playing on playground or an open market place like hauzien. April 8th 1988 the city of wukro was bombed while Red Cross workers distributing relief aid to the people of that city. The October- 1989 meqelle attack were also important for the government, meqelle is the capital of tigray province at the time, and these raids indicated that the Ethiopian government was willing to destroy even its major cities should they fall in to rebel hands. These raids were intended to destroy, terrorize and kill civilian non-combatants as a reprisal for the TPLF military successes. The objectives of the bombardment s are to destroying property and killing people, disrupting production and trade, terrorizing and demoralizing people, deterring rebel forces from capturing towns for fear that they would be destroyed, and taking revenge for defeats. All Tigrians where aware of the situation of the time and what they have to do to be victorious, We know it was bitter and long struggle the rebellious people of tigray and the TPLF forces have to go through for over seventeen years and hade consumed over eighty thousand dedicated suns and daughters of tigray to uproot the brutal dictator DERG regime. Our people have overcome the day in day out tortured, bombardments, murdered, distraction, and deliberate act of a terrorism one’s and for all .The people of tigray promised to each other that what they have endured for the last fifty-sixty years could not happen again for the next generation and beyond on the land of woyane tigray. They over run the DERG garrison and freed us for good from these evil governments. Our freedom is gained by the sacrifices’ of thousands and thousand of our fathers, mothers, suns and daughters of the region. With out these heroes and heronries of ours we wouldn’t be where we are today. “Hidri swuat’na anyni eberen” we shall never forget them. We shall never forget them.
Atakelti Kebede
Note : twenty two years after the massacre listen to the testimony of our people on rebuilding the region today.