Incident Summary:
12/23/2020: Assailants armed with firearms and knives attacked members of the Amhara, Oromo and Shinasha ethnic communities in Bekoji, Metekel, Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia. Two hundred and twenty-two civilians and 15 assailants were killed and 38 people were injured in the attack. In addition, four people were reported missing following the attack. Assailants also set fire to civilian residences. No group claimed responsibility for the incident; however, sources attributed the attack to a Gumuz militia.
Overview
GTD ID:
202012230006
When:
2020-12-23
Country:
Ethiopia
Region:
Sub-Saharan Africa
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Benishangul-Gumuz
City:
Bekoji
Location Details:
The incident occurred in Metekel district.
What
Attack Information
| Type of Attack () |
Armed Assault |
| Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
| Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
|---|
| Name of Entity |
Bekoji Village |
| Specific Description |
Village |
| Nationality of Target |
Ethiopia |
Additional Information
| Ransom |
No |
| Property Damage |
Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage |
Minor (likely < $1 million) |
| Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
| Type |
Sub-type |
| Firearms |
Unknown Gun Type |
| Incendiary |
Arson/Fire |
| Melee |
Knife or Other Sharp Object |
| Weapon Details |
|---|
| Firearms, fire, knives, and bows and arrows were used in the attack. |
Additional Information
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
| Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
| Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
| Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
| Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
| Additional Information |
The victims included civilians from the Amhara, Oromo, and Shinasha ethnic communities, including Belay Wajera and Hassen Yimama. Casualty numbers conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the most recent reliable estimates are reported here. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
| Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
| Gumuz militia |
No |
Perpetrator Statistics
| Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
| Total Number of Casualties |
222 Fatalities / 38 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities |
222 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
15 |
| Total Number of Injured |
38 |
| Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
| "Ethiopia Military ‘Kills 40’ After Benishangul-Gumuz Massacre," Independent.ng, December 24, 2020. |
| "More than 100 killed along ethnic lines in Ethiopia," FOXNews.com, December 23, 2020. |
| "Dozens reported dead after attack by gunmen in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region," Reuters India, December 23, 2020. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties
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