- Professor Tony Magaña at the Mekelle Ayder Hospital helping patients (Photo: FB page
“Today has been a mixture of sadness and joy. For sometime I have wanted to tell the story of what I think was the most heroic thing I have ever seen in my life, which was the unarmed defense of Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Mekelle. Now that Mekelle is free it is important to tell it.
On November 26 and for the next few days in Mekelle, there were Ethiopian and Eritrean forces looting, shooting, robbing, and harassing civilians all around the Ayder area, where I lived and the hospital is located. The hospital was occupied by Ethiopian army regulars, then by Special Forces from Oromia, and the so-called Federal Police. Then suddenly for about half a day they disappeared.
Rumors were flying in the city that Eritreans were ransacking public utilities, schools, etc. The local population of civilians began to put tires, logs, and stones around Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, the main teaching and tertiary hospital for Tigray, fearing that the hospital which was highly valued by the city would be destroyed or looted.
Special Red caped soldiers showed up and began harassing the locals more and more. The locals did not back off. They gathered by the thousands and began to surround the hospital 24 hours a day. Many times semitrucks and smaller trucks driven by Eritreans which were empty tried to make it to the hospital to loot it.”
“At one point a group of young men were shouting about ten feet ahead of me to the soldiers. Suddenly the soldiers fired at them, killing one person and injuring two others. At that time, there were tires burning all around the hospital with thousands of protesters. The soldiers were scared and I feared the worst was going to happen. It was tense until the morning. Finally the lined up trucks were told to leave.
Pictures I had of the event were erased by Eritrean patrols that would search me everyday I went to the hospital, but I will never forget the bravery of the people in Mekelle who unarmedly defended their hospital.”