Eritrea: ‘Black Sunday’ Massacre Commemorated

The 50th anniversary of the ‘Black Sunday’ massacre, perpetrated against innocent residents of Akordet by the Ethiopian Derg regime, was commemorated on 9 March.

The massacre, carried out under the motto “We Need the Eritrean Land and Not Its People” on Sunday, 9 March 1975, claimed the lives of 467 innocent Akordet residents, leaving 130 others injured.

Speaking on the significance of commemorating the 50th anniversary, Mr. Isak Tium, Administrator of the sub-zone, stated that the objective is to remind the youth of the heavy price paid for independence and to inspire them to uphold the trust of the martyrs.

During the event, eyewitness accounts were presented by survivors, detailing the human loss and material destruction caused by the massacre.

Emphasizing that the commemoration is not intended to foster grudge or enmity, Ambassador Mahmud Ali Hirui, Governor of the Gash Barka Region, stated that its purpose is to pass on the memory of heavy sacrifice the Eritrean people paid for their for independence and to acknowledge the atrocities committed by the Ethiopian regimes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.