There were suggestions by local officers and members of the communities involved that the victims included people who were targeted because of their pro-independence political backgrounds, and that former militia members were involved; however, the precise motivation for the violence in Atsabe, the source of support for the assailants and the degree to which they were part of a larger group have not been satisfactorily established.
Toutefois, l'on n'a pas pu déterminer le motif précis de la violence survenue à Atsabe, l'origine du soutien dont les assaillants ont bénéficié et leur appartenance éventuelle à un groupe plus important.