Ethiopian government forces and allied fighters killed a senior Tigray rebel commander and captured two others amid renewed clashes in the country’s north, Jawar Mohammed, a member of the Oromo Federalist Congress, said on Tuesday.
Semere Teklu, one of the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s (TPLF), was killed during fighting in Bizet, eastern Tigray region, according to Jawar.
He added that government troops and allied Tigray Peace Forces (TPF) militias captured Hailesilassie Asefa, one of the leaders of the TPLF, and logistics chief Kahsay Teklu, along with rebels under their command.
The developments followed a claim on Monday by the TPLF that its forces had killed 500 Ethiopian soldiers and wounded another 800 in clashes near Aksum on October 31.
Separately, government forces recaptured Wuchale town in neighbouring Amhara region from Fano rebels, privately owned Wazema Radio reported on Wednesday.
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 rebels, threatening efforts to restore stability following the devastating 2020-2022 conflict.
