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Background
In June 1998, Ethiopia experienced a genocide in which
schoolchildren, teachers, parents, and other civilians were bombed
and massacred by the Eritrean government warplanes in the premises
of the Ayder Elementary School, Mekelle, Ethiopia. Through the
establishment of the Ayder Memorial Library Project, in memory of
the victims, it is our hope that the tools used for destruction
will be replaced with tools of knowledge. Successful completion of
this monumental effort will mark a watershed in Ayder’s history,
finally providing unfettered access to a treasure trove of
knowledge.The memorial library - a living sanctuary for knowledge
and a forum for the free exchange of ideas/projects - will also be
a monument to serve as a permanent reminder to all of us and the
rest of the world that the atrocities committed in 1998 by the
Eritrean government will never be forgotten. It must be reminded
that, as of today, the Eritrean government has never made any
formal or official apology nor made arrangement for reparations or
any sort of atonement to the Ethiopian people or the local
community, for the crime it committed against innocent civilians
that included children in the elementary school premises.
The Memorial Project
Some concerned Ethiopians from the Tigrean community, initiated
the Ayder Memorial Library Project (AMEL) in June 2007. Soon
thereafter, it gained the ardent support of others such as
Tigreans in North America and organized a Project Committee, which
was established in Washington, DC, in September 2007.
The effort to build and equip the Ayder Memorial Library has
also received strong support from the Ayder Elementary School
Parents and Teachers Association in Mekelle. Furthermore, the
Tigray regional government through its representatives has
expressed its full support for this initiative.
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