Former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin is killed during an exchange of fire with his guards. He, along with Abay Tsehaye and Asemelash Woldeselassie
borkena
January 13, 2021
It is now confirmed that former Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin and two other top Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) political leaders were killed in an exchange of fire.
Abay Tsehaye and Asmelash Woldeselassie, both among the top political leaders of TPLF, are also killed. They were both members of the executive committee of TPLF.
According to the Ethiopian Defense Force, they were killed in their hideout — which is said to be a cave along the Tekeze river bank. The river runs about 608 kilometers before it joins Atbara. It is unclear as to where exactly they were killed.
Ethiopian State media,EBC, cited Brigadier General Tesfaye Getachew to report that Seyoum Mesfin and his comrades were killed on Wednesday after a joint operation by the Ethiopian Defense Force and the Federal Police.
There was an exchange of fire with their defense unit that is said to be annihilated.
The Ethiopian Defense Force said they were ring leaders behind the plan to attack the Northern Command and then to destabilize Ethiopia.
Brigadier General Tesfaye Ayalew recalled that the government asked them to surrender within 48 hours after the Defense Force took control of Mekelle over a month ago.
Furthermore, he said that another effort was made when the government sent elders from the region as mediators to convince them to disarm. They were promised a trial in a court of law.
Brigadier General Tesfaye Getachew added that they escaped from Mekele with force that was entrusted to protect them. The Force that was protecting them in the cave is also annihilated. Colonel Hagos Kiros, who reportedly abandoned the Defense Force to change sides after the attack on the Ethiopian Defense Force on November 4, 2021, was also killed along with his forces.
The Defense Force also reported that it has captured three colonels who were all members of the Defense Force before they deserted. Their names are : Colonel Gebremeskel Gebrekidan, Colonel Fisseha Berhe and Colonel Zerebruk Tadesse. Commander of Tigray region special forces, Gebrekidan Asgedom, is captured.
Mebrehatom Kinde, who was an official in the Tigray regional state, is also captured alive.
The Defense Force also indicated that the anticipation of military victory among TPLF supporters and sympathizers is unrealistic. His advice for the supporters is “they are gone forever.”
Meanwhile, the hunt operation to capture the rest of the TPLF leaders is underway. Unconfirmed reports on social media on Wednesday said that former Tigray region president and chairperson of TPLF, Debretsion Gebremichael and spokesperson of the organization, Getachew Reda have surrendered.
The reception to the news of the death of Seyoum Mesfin, Abay Tsehaye and Asmelash Woldeselassie was indifference. A considerable number of Ethiopian activists seem to believe that it has been weeks since they were killed. For them, the news is released on Wednesday because Abiy Ahmed’s government is trying to cover the massacre of ethnic Amhara and ethnic Agaw in the Benishangul region of Ethiopia.
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