Commission of Inquiry on Tigray Genocide

The Commission of Inquiry on Tigray Genocide (CITG; Tigrinya: ኮሚሽን መፅናዕቲ ጀኖሳይድ ትግራይ) is a research and investigative body established by the Tigray regional authorities to document human rights violations, gender-based violence, and damage and losses allegedly caused during the 2020–2022 Tigray war. The commission states that its mandate is to collect reliable, scientifically verifiable data and produce reports to support accountability, reparations, and reconstruction efforts. ^[1]

According to its official materials, CITG has established six specialized research centers tasked with investigating distinct domains of harm: (1) Human Atrocity; (2) Gender-Based Violence; (3) Infrastructure Damage; (4) Environmental and Natural Resource Damage; (5) Economic Damage; and (6) Social Services and Values Damage. The commission describes its methods as including census-based damage assessments, key informant interviews, surveys, and the review of secondary sources. ^[1]

CITG has published multiple reports and executive summaries documenting alleged large-scale destruction and human rights abuses in Tigray. CITG publications released in 2025 include reports on sexual and gender-based violence, damage to the social sector (education and health), environmental and natural resource losses, and broader economic and infrastructure damages. Several of these reports estimate damages in the billions of US dollars and document widespread conflict-related sexual violence and other serious abuses. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Independent coverage and policy analysis have summarized and reacted to CITG's reports. The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) noted that CITG's findings—especially on the scale of sexual violence—underscore the need to strengthen transitional justice mechanisms that are survivor-centred and compliant with international standards. ^[5] Media outlets in Ethiopia and Tigray have reported on CITG's estimates of social-sector damage and on the commission's critiques of national transitional justice arrangements. ^{[6] [7]}

In addition to its thematic assessment reports, the Commission of Inquiry on Tigray Genocide (CITG) has released periodic publications and sector-specific studies intended to document patterns of harm, survivor testimonies, and material losses resulting from the Tigray War.

One of CITG’s recurring publications is TS’INTA (Tigrinya: ፅንታ, meaning Genocide), a magazine produced by the Commission to present documented evidence, survivor accounts, and analytical essays related to the alleged genocide in Tigray. In September 2025, CITG released four editions of TS’INTA: Volume 1 and Volume 2, each published in both English and Tigrinya. According to the Commission, the magazine focuses on massacres, the lived experiences of survivors, and the broader social and political dimensions of the conflict.^[8]

In September 2025, CITG also published a special assessment titled The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons in Tigray, based on field research conducted across 92 internally displaced persons (IDP) sites and host communities. The report documents displacement patterns, humanitarian conditions, and protection concerns affecting civilians displaced during and after the war.^[9]

Between October and November 2025, CITG released a series of sectoral Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA) reports and executive summaries. These included assessments of damage to public infrastructure,^[10] productive sectors and household livelihoods,^[11] natural resources and the environment,^[4] and the social sector, including education, health, cultural heritage, and social welfare systems.^[3] The Commission stated that these studies were conducted across multiple zones of Tigray using surveys, site assessments, and institutional data, and were intended to inform reconstruction planning, reparations, and accountability discussions.

CITG is an institution created by the Tigray regional authorities and, therefore, its reports are viewed through a political lens. Supporters argue that CITG fills a documentation gap — providing detailed damage and victim registers and evidence required for reparations and criminal accountability. ^[1] Critics and some external observers caution that a commission established by a party to a conflict may face perceptions (or risks) of partiality; independent verification, methodological transparency, and access arrangements have been highlighted as essential to strengthening credibility. ^[12] Several policy analysts have urged that CITG's findings be integrated into broader, independent transitional-justice processes and international investigations where appropriate. ^[5]

In October 2025, the Commission released a landmark 150-page report titled War-Induced Genocidal Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Tigray^[13], which assessed conflict-related sexual violence based on data from more than 481,000 respondents and over 2,000 in-depth interviews. The report concluded that sexual and gender-based violence committed during the Tigray War was systematic, weaponized, and constituted genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. It criticized Ethiopia's federal transitional justice initiative as structurally incapable of addressing these crimes, arguing that the process lacked independence, gender sensitivity, and public trust. The Commission further stated that federal institutions could not credibly investigate crimes in which federal security forces were implicated, and called for international accountability mechanisms, including possible referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC).^[14]

CITG states that one of its objectives is to produce evidence usable for legal proceedings against alleged perpetrators and to inform reconstruction and reparations planning. The commission's large-scale damage assessments have been cited in public debates over reconstruction budgets and in advocacy for survivor-centred reparations and protection measures for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Tigray. ^{[3] [6]}

• Tigray War
• Ethiopia–Tigray peace agreement
• Transitional justice