Authorities in Ethiopia have said that as many as three members of the conflict-struct Tigray’s former ruling party have been killed, including a former foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin. The government’s task force on the situation in Tigray took to Twitter and stated that three members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) were killed after they refused to surrender.
The statement further added that the security forces captured five more people of the organization. From 1991 until 2010, Seyoum Mesfinremained the country’s foreign minister. Besides that, the two other members killed included the former parliamentary chief whip Asmelash Woldeselassie and ex- Federal Affairs Minister Abay Tsehaye.
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Only recently, Abiy’s government claimed victory in its fight with the regional TPLF, which previously ruled the conflict-hit province of Ethiopia. The military took back control of Tigray’s capital, Mekele, on November 28 after a military offensive against the political party.
Allegedly the conflict between the federal government and the regional party started after the TPLF attacked military bases in the region. These developments eventually led to a war that has shaken the African continent. On the other hand, despite Abiy’s claims of victory, the fugitives of TPLF have vowed to keep fighting from the mountains in the province, but their whereabouts and location are still unclear.
But last week, the Ethiopian military had said in a statement that it had captured a founding member of the banned group, Sebhat Nega. According to the state-run television, the military said on the weekend that it captured eight other members of the TPLF and killed fifteen people. Among those captured included Tigray’s former president and chairman of the ruling party.
The UN said this week that the military offensive that included air raids are believed to have killed thousands of people in the region and added that as many as two million people need aid. But due to the communications blackout in the region, the local and international media outlets have been unable to certify the details.
