On 29 October, local Fano and administrators rounded up Tigrayans, going from door to door and calling them to a meeting. The people who were arrested were taken to a place on the sugar factory land, and were shot on the spot. The round-up was supervised by two former teachers who had become the top administrator and vice-administrator of Delesa Kokah under the occupation. A policeman accused of having participated in other nearby massacres was seen “with papers” in his hand. These documents could be lists of Tigrayan inhabitants or possibly a written order from the zone or wereda to give the killings a veneer of bureaucratic legality – something many local administrations have done regarding looting, for example by creating “committees for gathering assets without owners” and issuing letters for stolen vehicles. Witnessses mentioned that the Eritrean soldiers who were involved in the round-ups “saved many people”, by forcing the Fano to drive arrested Tigrayans to the Tekezé Bridge rather than kill them. All of these soldiers took part in the subsequent looting. They mentioned that the people who were taken to the Tekezé were told not to take anything on the lorries with them. Fano threatened to “slaughter” anybody who was carrying money or valuable items. At one checkpoint, a woman was found with some jewellery sewn into her dress. Fano militia beheaded her on the spot. Other witnesses mentioned that over 600 houses had been burnt over the same period, between 24 and 29 October 2021 in Delesa Kokah.