NAIROBI
Ethiopian government forces and allied fighters killed a senior Tigray rebel commander and captured two others amid renewed clashes in the country’s north, prominent political activist Jawar Mohammed said Tuesday.
Col. Semere Teklu, commander of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s (TPLF) Army 92 unit, was killed during fighting in Bizet, eastern Tigray, Jawar said.
He added that government troops and allied Tigray Peace Forces (TPF) fighters captured Hailesilassie Asefa, commander of the TPLF’s 15th Army unit, and logistics chief Col. Kahsay Teklu, along with fighters under their command.
The developments followed a claim Monday by the TPLF that its forces had killed 500 Ethiopian soldiers and wounded another 800 in clashes near Aksum on Oct. 31.
Separately, government forces recaptured Wuchale town in neighboring Amhara region from Fano rebels, privately owned Wazema Radio reported Wednesday.
Tigray introduces election restrictions
Tigray’s federally appointed interim administration has introduced regulations barring individuals involved in what it describes as an illegal group’s previous war from contesting local administrative positions, according to Wazema Radio.
The broadcaster, which reviewed the regulations, said candidates must also be politically unaffiliated, effectively excluding members of political parties.
The measures come as the administration, established by Ethiopia’s federal government in October, prepares to hold local elections within six months.
The restrictions coincide with renewed hostilities between federal forces and TPLF fighters, threatening efforts to restore stability following the devastating 2020-2022 conflict.
The escalation has also heightened tensions with neighboring Eritrea, raising concerns about a wider confrontation in the Horn of Africa.
