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Zecharias Zelalem

Those coordinates placed the village precisely parallel to the four way intersection that we had identified earlier. For vehicles driving from west to east, the road to Fela village was literally a sharp turn right, meaning "Fela Turnabout," the description given to us, was pretty consistent with this location.

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Zecharias Zelalem replied to Zecharias

Comparison of Google Earth imagery with photographs, and screengrabs from the video (considerably cropped to conceal graphic content) shows consistency, two transmission towers, dirt road leading to the village of Fela, which can be seen in the distance.

Zecharias Zelalem replied to Zecharias

This closeup of the spot at the intersection seen on Google Earth from October 3rd 2023, appears to show parked vehicles. It would be consistent with descriptions that survivors gave me of the location: as being a truck or bus stop for passengers to get off and walk to nearby villages.

At this point, the evidence is overwhelming. This is where an Ethiopian air force drone cut down 30+ people on February 19th 2024.

Zecharias Zelalem replied to Zecharias

Why go to these lengths? For much of the past 8 months, victims have been told they are lying, or that their dead loved ones were armed fighters who got what was coming. That atrocity won't be erased from history.

One day, when independent investigators are allowed to work freely, we can tell them where to begin their probe. Archiving atrocities today could enable justice tomorrow. This goes for Ethiopia, just as it does for Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Zecharias Zelalem replied to Zecharias

The only thing we were unable to do this time was humanize the victims by adding names & faces with their stories. They live in the warzone. Putting their names and faces out would have invited instant retaliation by a brutal government. Doing so was impossible this time, perhaps in the future.

FYI...it's the second time I feature testimony from this massacre's survivors. Two of them were featured in a story earlier this year I did for Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail.

theglobeandmail.com/world/arti

The only thing we were unable to do this time was humanize the victims by adding names & faces with their stories. They live in the warzone. Putting their names and faces out would have invited instant retaliation by a brutal government. Doing so was impossible this time, perhaps in the future.

FYI...it's the second time I feature testimony from this massacre's survivors. Two of them were featured in a story earlier this year I did for Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail.

Zecharias Zelalem replied to Zecharias

So yeah, that's the story of the cover:
"A war crime happened here." Really didn't need much explaining. The people in the picture, are dressed in traditional Ethiopian attire, white shawls. That's what we wear at celebrations. The dead were returning from a baby's baptism, and were all from two or three families. The picture depicts the moment before their white shawls were soaked in blood.

Zecharias Zelalem replied to Zecharias

Meanwhile, in unrelated news...Ethiopia was elected into the United Nations Human Rights Council this week.

Once again, the impact of the proliferation of cheap drones sold by Iran, China, UAE and Turkey to authoritarian regimes with a promise of swift victory.

Thank you for your time.
-ZZ.

africanews.com/2024/10/10/dr-c

LeuchtturmECK replied to Zecharias

@ZekuZelalem Thank you for your investigative work!

terna replied to Zecharias

thank you for this work, @ZekuZelalem it's vital.

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