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A30 world news
Diabierna 25 Juni 2021

64 dead in Ethiopian airstrike on Tigray

available.” ing at regional hospitals with Togoga that left children, ing party a terrorist group,
shrapnel and blunt trauma including a 1-year-old baby. concerns have been wide-
Most of the patients taken wounds two days after the screaming in pain. spread among Tigrayans, aid
to regional hospitals weren’t airstrike, said a doctor in the workers and others that any-
critical, he said: “The critical regional capital, Mekele. The A “reprehensible act,” the one seen as linked to Tigray
patients were already dead.” International Committee U.S. State Department said. fighters, including civilians,
Like others, he spoke on con- of the Red Cross called the “Denying victims urgently could be targeted.
dition of anonymity for fear transport of seriously injured needed medical care is hei-
of retaliation. to Mekele “a matter of life nous and absolutely unac- Tigrayans were appalled by
and death.” ceptable. We urge the Ethio- Ethiopia’s assertion that the
A military spokesman, Col. pian authorities to ensure airstrike was aimed only at
Getnet Adane, told journal- Even on Thursday, United full and unhindered medical combatants.
ists that fighters supporting Nations spokesman Stepha- access to the victims immedi-
the Tigray region’s former ne Dujarric told reporters ately. We also call for an ur- “It’s an insult to the peo-
leaders had assembled to cel- that the U.N. still hasn’t been gent and independent inves- ple and adding salt to the
(AP) — Ethiopia’s mili- ebrate Martyrs’ Day when able to reach the scene. “Be- tigation.“ wounds, you know?” said
tary on Thursday said the airstrike occurred. tween the fighting and dif- Hailu Kebede, a former
it was responsible for a ferent groups on the ground The U.S. also called for an Togoga resident and official
deadly airstrike on a busy “The Ethiopian air force uses we need clearance to go and immediate cease-fire in Ti- with the Salsay Woyane Ti-
marketplace in the coun- the latest technology, so it we’ve just not been able to gray, where thousands of ci- gray opposition party. He de-
try’s Tigray region. Health conducted a precision strike get it,” he said. vilians have been killed and scribed how his brother, who
workers said the attack that was successful,” he said. 350,000 people are now fac- has a shop in the market, ran
killed at least 64 people, The airstrike, one of the ing one of the world’s worst for his life while his nearby
including children, but But the doctor who reached worst massacres of the war, famines in years. home was destroyed.
the military insisted only the scene said “most of the came amid some of the fierc-
combatants were targeted. patients we found were est fighting in Tigray since “At least 33,000 children in “We know the area. I grew up
mothers, children and el- the conflict began in No- inaccessible parts of Tigray there. There were no com-
A doctor who managed to derly fathers. There were few vember as Ethiopian forces, are severely malnourished batants,” Hailu said. “The
reach the market in Togoga young men.” supported by neighboring and face imminent death destroyed homes are those of
village after Ethiopian sol- Eritrea, pursue Tigray’s for- without immediate help,” my friends and my family.”
diers blocked medical teams The airstrike wounded more mer leaders. the latest U.N. humanitarian
from responding to Tuesday’s than 100 people, half of them update said Thursday. One of his friends lost a child
attack described a “horrible” seriously, a regional health The Ethiopian military in the airstrike while another
scene of badly wounded peo- official said. Health workers spokesman denied Tigray Ethiopia claims that aid is be- child had her hand amputat-
ple lying on the ground, cry- said Ethiopian forces blocked fighters’ claims of gains in ing delivered to most of Ti- ed, he said.
ing in pain with no medical medical teams from respond- recent days, saying Ethiopian gray’s 6 million people, but
care. ing and shot at a Red Cross forces had been deployed to aid workers have said they The real death toll from the
ambulance trying to reach other locations for Monday’s have been repeatedly denied airstrike could be even higher
“It was very traumatizing,” the scene. national election. access to several parts of the because some people likely
he told The Associated Press. region by soldiers. took the dead home to their
“I think most of the patients, Bodies were still being pulled The United States and the nearby villages and buried
they died because we were from the rubble and dozens European Union have con- With Ethiopia recently de- them without telling regional
late there, because care wasn’t of survivors were still arriv- demned the airstrike in claring Tigray’s former rul- officials, Hailu said.

Gibraltar votes on whether to ease its strict abortion law

(AP) — Gibraltar was is a “substantial risk that the Party and the Liberal Party, used. health care system.
holding a referendum fetus is suffering from a fatal have joined with the Together “Women have the right to …
Thursday on whether to fetal abnormality.” Gibraltar party in urging vot- “We are aware that some of privacy and they also have the
introduce exceptions to ers to back the change. The the laws regarding abortion right to not be subject to in-
the British territory’s ban Gibraltar is a speck of British leader of the main opposition has to change, like life in humane and degrading treat-
on abortion. land on Spain’s southern tip. Social Democrats is against prison and things like that, ment when they are forced to
Many locals live and work the proposed alterations. but this law it’s too wide and continue a pregnancy against
Abortion is illegal in Gibral- across the border. In Spain, too extreme,” said voter Katy their will,” said Nicole Vanda,
tar, unless it is needed to save abortion is allowed upon re- The question on voting Hall. who supports the “Gibraltar
the mother’s life. Abortion is quest up to the 14th week of cards at 15 polling stations is, for Yes” movement.
legally classified as “child de- pregnancy. “Should the Crimes (Amend- Campaigners for the “Gi-
struction” and is punishable ment) Act 2019, that defines braltar for Yes” group say The referendum was post-
by up to life in prison. It is Gibraltar Chief Minister Fa- the circumstances which women should have the right poned from March last year
one of Europe’s most restric- bian Picardo, who heads the would allow abortion in Gi- to decide about terminating due to the COVID-19 pan-
tive laws on pregnancy termi- government, said it was an braltar, come into force?” their pregnancy in the public demic.
nation. “important ... seminal refer-
endum on women’s repro- Results were expected after
Gibraltar’s just over 23,000 ductive rights.” midnight.
registered voters are being
asked whether they agree “I very much look forward to About 80% of Gibraltarians
with a 2019 decision by par- this day being a day that goes are Catholic, and the Bishop
liament to allow exemptions down in history, whatever the of Gibraltar has spoken out
on health grounds to the result,” Picardo, who heads against the proposed chang-
abortion law. the Socialist Labour Party, es. The Gibraltar Pro-Life
told reporters. Movement has run a “Save
If enacted, the changes would Babies, Vote No” campaign.
allow pregnancies to be ter- Most political parties have It argues that in practice the
minated up to the 12th week united behind a ‘yes’ vote. legal change amounts to in-
if doctors deem the pregnant The leaders of the two parties troducing abortion on de-
woman’s physical or mental in Gibraltar’s governing co- mand, because the mental
health to be at risk or if there alition, the Socialist Labour health proviso can be mis-