Tsadkan Gebretensae, General Tadesse Worede, Reportedly Under Siege

Tsadkan Gebretensae professed before the war as having no political affiliations with TPLF and was appearing several current affairs analyst panel

Borkena

January 22, 2021 

Ethiopian Defense Force’s hunt for TPLF political and military leaders who are  believed to have initiated, planned and executed the attack on several bases of the northern command in Tigray region of Ethiopia is far from over. 

However, there are reports, which the Ethiopian Defense Force is yet to confirm, that the former Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Defense Force — Tsadkan Gebretensae — is under siege in a location close to Ethiopia’s prominent monastery, Waldba. 

According to a report by Ethiopian Satellite Television — which is now said to be in good terms with the Ethiopian government unlike the TPLF era, said on Thursday that the Ethiopian Defense Force already made announcements for him and two others senior TPLF military and political leaders to surrender to the Ethiopian Force contingent that got them under siege. 

General Tadesse Worede, who was also a member of the Ethiopian Defense Force before he retired after Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister, and Tsegaye Berhe, one of the top TPLF political leaders who served as president of Tigray region ( and then as Ethiopian Ambassador to Israel)  are said to be with Tsadkan Gebretensae. 

Retired Chief of Staff Tsadkan Gebretensae played a political neutrality card during the political rancor between TPLF and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. 

According to a report from the Ethiopian government following the attack on Ethiopian Defense Force on November 4, Tsadkan Gebretensae is implicated in the planning and execution of a TPLF military attack on that day. Apart from political affiliation with TPLF, Tsadkan has a business interest. He was one of the 58 founding shareholders of Raya Brewery- which is located in Maychew — and was also on the board of governors. 

If Tsadkan (and his two TPLF comrades) declined to surrender, their fate is said to be annihilation — as reported by ESAT.   

It is however unclear if the three individuals are alone or if they have guards against TPLF special forces to defend them. 

So far at least five key TPLF leaders are reported killed ( and it is confirmed by the Ethiopian Defense Force) and dozens are captured including founder of the organization, Sebhat Nega. Former foreign affairs minister Seyoum Mesfin is among the dead. 

There are reported sporadic fighting in Tigray region but Maj. General Mohammed Tessema described it as something that will never succeed to make a military comeback for TPLF.