A senior official at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has accused Ethiopian government troops of deliberately executing three of the charity’s staff members during a humanitarian mission in the conflict-ravaged Tigray region in 2021.

Raquel Ayora, General Director of MSF Spain, spoke to the BBC as the organization published findings from its internal investigation into what it described as a “deliberate and targeted killing” of the aid workers, Spanish national María Hernández Matas, and Ethiopian colleagues Yohannes Halefom Reda and Tedros Gebremariam.

“They were executed,” Ayora said. “They were facing their attackers and were shot multiple times at close range.”

The incident occurred on 24 June 2021, at the height of the brutal war in northern Ethiopia, which erupted in late 2020 following a breakdown in relations between the federal government and Tigray’s regional leadership.

Eritrean forces later joined the conflict in support of Ethiopian troops. The war officially ended in 2022 through a peace agreement brokered by the African Union.

Despite more than 20 meetings between MSF and Ethiopian authorities over the past four years, Ayora said the government has failed to provide a credible explanation for the killings.

The humanitarian workers were travelling in central Tigray to assess medical needs when they were attacked. According to Ayora, they were clearly identifiable, wearing MSF vests, and traveling in a vehicle marked with the charity’s logos and flags. Their route had also been shared in advance with military groups operating in the area.

“They knew they were killing aid workers,” she said.

María Hernández, 35, had been working in Tigray even before the conflict began and was said to be deeply respected by communities in the region. Yohannes, 32, and Tedros, 31, were also praised for their professionalism and commitment to humanitarian service. Tedros had recently become a father, and his widow later named their newborn daughter María in honor of the slain Spanish colleague.

According to MSF’s investigation, the bodies of Hernández and Yohannes were found hundreds of meters from their burned vehicle, while Tedros’s body was discovered next to the car consistent with MSF’s policy that drivers stay with their vehicle.

Ayora said the vehicle had been fired upon several times and then set ablaze on the road between Abi Adi and Yech'illa. Satellite imagery, witness testimony, and publicly available military movement data placed Ethiopian troops at the exact location of the killings, she added.

The report includes chilling accounts from witnesses who overheard an officer radioing a local commander about an approaching white car. The commander allegedly gave the order to shoot.

After troops failed to stop the car, which turned around and halted near Abi Adi, the commander reportedly instructed soldiers to “go and catch them” and “remove them.”

Despite these findings, Ethiopian officials informed MSF in 2022 that preliminary inquiries had concluded government forces were not involved though they declined to issue a formal written statement. MSF continued to push for accountability.

“Our aim is to challenge impunity,” Ayora said, pointing to a troubling global trend of aid workers being targeted in conflict zones.

The BBC has contacted Ethiopian authorities for comment on the allegations.

The Tigray war is estimated to have claimed around 600,000 lives, according to African Union envoy and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. Many deaths were attributed not only to fighting but also to famine and the collapse of healthcare systems.

MSF says it released its findings publicly to honor its colleagues and demand justice amid what it calls a pattern of violence and disregard for humanitarian law.