The residents of Aksum city conducted a candlelight vigil in memory of the civilians who lost their lives during the massacre by invading troops.

The fourth anniversary of the genocidal massacre of innocent Tigrayans in Aksum on November 28, 2020, is being commemorated with a candlelight vigil ceremony in the holy city of Aksum. Four years ago, on November 28, 2020, more than1,000 innocent residents of Aksum city were massacred, and this tragic event is being memorialized by lighting candles.

The holy city of Aksum is observing the fourth anniversary of the massacre of innocent Tigrayans on November 28, 2020, with a candlelight vigil. On this day four years ago, more than 1,000 residents of Aksum were tragically killed, an event now commemorated by the lighting of candles.

The prayer ceremony commemorating the mass murder of over 1,000 innocent individuals near the Tsion Mary Church in Aksum was concluded on November 29, 2024, as reported by the Central Zone Communication Affairs. The Blessed Archbishop of Menbere Salama, church scholars, priests, families of the victims, security personnel, students from various educational institutions, and other community members attended the ceremony. A candlelight vigil was also conducted to honor the memory of the victims.

His Holiness Abune Athnatious, Archbishop of Israel and a member of the Tigray Orthodox Church, stated, “In 2020, close to the Holy Church of Tsion Mary, innocent Tigrayans were slain as they pleaded for the world’s mercy. His Holiness Abune Athnatious offers its deepest sympathies to the victims’ families and prays for the Almighty to welcome the souls of the martyrs into Paradise, highlighting that their blood was spilled at the threshold of Tsion Mary solely for being Tigrayans.” said

Amnesty International reported on February 26, 2021, that ”Eritrean troops fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray state systematically killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the northern city of Axum on 28-29 November 2020, opening fire in the streets and conducting house-to-house raids in a massacre that may amount to a crime against humanity,” Amnesty International

The Associated Press reported on February 28, 2021, that in Ethiopia’s most sacred city, bodies bearing gunshot wounds lay in the streets for days. Locals could hear hyenas preying on the remains of acquaintances, yet Eritrean soldiers occupying the city prohibited them from burying their dead.

The candle lighting ceremony held in Aksum acts as a solemn remembrance of the 2020 massacre, calling for accountability from the perpetrators and seeking to prevent such tragedies from recurring.

The city is now preparing for the annual Hidar Tsion Festival, set to take place on Saturday, a celebration blending centuries-old traditions with reflections on a painful past.