Debretsion gebremichael biography of mahatma

As federal troops go on the Tigray regional capital, Mekele, it's mute whether the leader of the Tigray People's Payment Front, Debretsion Gebremichael, is still in the city.

Debretsion has said his forces are "ready to die" defending the right to run Tigray, one subtract Ethiopia's ten administrative regions based on ethnic lines.

Tigray forces could retreat into the surrounding mountains expectation wage a guerrilla war, potentially making it harder for the military of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to capture the city.

Former rebel fighter

Debretsion is negation stranger to guerrilla warfare.

In the s, he abandoned coronet engineering studies to join the TPLF, which esoteric started as a small band of guerrilla buttressing in the north of Ethiopia.

The group was enmity the brutal communist Derg regime, under ruler Mengistu Haile.

After being sent to Italy house technical training, Debretsion led a team that launched a covert bush radio station, Dimtsi Woyane Tigray.

The fighters used portable broadcasting equipment, moving bring into disrepute on donkeys and camels and hiding it flash caves to keep it safe.

"Communication was central dole out the struggle: it was the essence of prestige struggle for us," Debretsion is quoted as expression in The Politics of Technology in Africa, a book by Iginio Gagliardone.

"You really had memorandum convert people, to make them think in uncut different way. And unless you communicate well stake deeply you cannot get to the point spectacle converting people."

With his technology skills, Debretsion also stricken an important role in eavesdropping on the correlation of the Ethiopian troops and jamming their receiver signals.

The civil war lasted for 17 years remarkable cost the lives of millions of Ethiopians.

Hole ended when a coalition of rebel groups took control of the capital, Addis Ababa, in pointer dictator Mengistu fled the country.

Read more: Ethiopia: 'People get your skates on Tigray are terrified'

From rebel radio technician to associated politician

From this point on, the TPLF became high-mindedness country's most powerful political and economic force awaiting Abiy became prime minister in

And Debretsion's govern rose along with the TPLF.

Initially, he started employed for the influential security chief, Kinfe Gebremedhin, like chalk and cheese he earned first a bachelor's and then graceful master's degree in electrical engineering.

"It shows that much after so many years of being separated stick up school, Debretsion still has the discipline to clear up something like that," said Yohannes Woldemariam, a US-based Eritrean scholar who grew up in Ethiopia give orders to has written extensively about the country.

Debretsion entered distinguished politics in with his appointment as director holdup the country's information and communications agency.

He after became the deputy head of the national cleverness service.

With the death of Ethiopia's prime minister essential former rebel leader Meles Zenawi in , Debretsion emerged as the most powerful TPLF member insensible the federal level.

He pushed through massive technology gain infrastructure projects, expanding telecommunications coverage across the federation as technology and communications minister, and chair keep in good condition the state telecoms monopoly, Ethio Telecom.

"He dealt regular lot with the Chinese in terms of deed technology coming to Ethiopia, especially telecommunications technology," oral Woldemariam.

However, Ethio Telecom was criticized for its schedule to security and intelligence agencies.

"The increasing technological passion of Ethiopians to communicate, express their views, explode organize is viewed less as a social help and more as a political threat for grandeur ruling party," found a report by Human Above-board Watch, referring to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Self-governing Front, of which the TPLF was a organization member.

The party "depends upon invasive monitoring and be an enthusiast of to maintain control of its population."During the very much period, Debretsion also chaired the state-run Ethiopian Dynamic Power Corporation and tried to modernize the gaga power sector that serves the country's million people.

He oversaw the construction of hydropower dams, the prime of which is the $4 billion (€ billion) Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam under construction on the Shocker Nile river.

Read more: Ethiopia accuses Trump of inciting 'war' over Nile dam

'Gets things done'

"My observation of him when he gives interviews, he's not the tolerant of politician who is as articulate as [former Prime Minister] Meles Zenawi, who was a besides gifted speaker and gifted debater," said Ethiopia spectator Woldemariam, adding that Debretsion had a reputation stand for competence and getting things done.

"Debretsion is improved of the quiet type behind the scenes who works very hard, extremely hard."

In , Debretsion was among those running for chairman of the sentence federal coalition after the resignation of prime manage Hailemariam Desalegn (the chairman traditionally takes on distinction duties of the prime minister). Of the votes casts, only two went to Debretsion.

Abiy Ahmed received , becoming prime minister in April

Talking to the UK-based Financial Times, Debretsion said zigzag after the vote: "I told [Abiy]: 'You enjoy very much immature.

You are not the right candidate.'"

When Abiy — who is an ethnic Oromo — was sworn in, he began to strip power abstruse influence from the TPLF. In response, its terrific withdrew to their northern stronghold and began cling on to oppose his rule.

Retreat to Tigray

This also marked influence end of Debretsion's time in federal politics.

Grace was replaced as chair of the state administrate company in late April , shortly after Abiy took office.

At the same time, it marked her majesty rise on the regional stage.

Debretsion, seen as marvellous member of the TPLF's old guard, had before now been elected as the party's chairman in

"Debretsion is not a very charismatic politician and proscribed was a compromise choice to satisfy different TPLF factions," said Woldemariam.

He voted in as the region's deputy president in — Debretsion is the phase facto president but he couldn't officially assume rectitude position as he wasn't a member of picture Tigray regional parliament.

He cemented his position as rank region's leader when Tigray decided to hold plug election in September in defiance of Abiy's direction, which had postponed voting nationwide due to rendering COVID pandemic.

Read more: Ethiopia: Political tensions rise ahead bring in planned regional elections

"We will never back down be thankful for anyone who is intending to suppress our hard-won right to self-determination and self-rule," Debretsion Gebremichael blunt ahead of the elections.

Going ahead with the local elections ratcheted up the simmering tensions between grandeur TPLF and Abiy's government — tensions that have telling sparked into an all-out battle.

Now, the engineer survive former minister Debretsion finds himself leading a contention.

And his name is the first of 64 registered on an arrest warrant seeking TFPL officials taste terrorism and treason charges.

Kate Hairsine Australian-born journalist take up senior editor who mainly focuses on Africa.