Kinfe Gebremedhin

Kinfe Gebremedhin (Tigrinya: ክንፈ ገብረመድህን; d. 13 May 2001) was an Ethiopian national who fought as a commander of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) against the military junta known as the Derg. Upon the overthrow of the Derg, Kinfe served as Chief of Security and Immigration in the new government and became a right-hand man of Meles Zenawi. He was murdered in 2001 by a fellow officer, which resulted in one of the most high-profile criminal cases in Ethiopian history.

Commander

Kinfe Gebremedhin
Native name
ክንፈ ገብረመድህን
Died13 May 2001
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
AllegianceTPLF
Years of servicec.1980-1991
Battles/warsEthiopian Civil War
Other workChief of Security and Immigration

Military career

In the 1980s, he served as a commander in the TPLF against the military government. He was a Durham University graduate[1] and appears to have studied there between 1994 and 1995 as a member of Hatfield College[2]

Political career

Following the TPLF victory, a new government under Meles Zenawi took power in 1995. Kinfe, a former TPLF Chief of Security, was appointed to lead the Security, Immigration, and Refugee Affairs Authority (previously the Ministry of Internal Security) – a position that saw him report directly to Zenawi.[3] His role in internal security affairs was said to possibly surpass those of the ministers of defence and justice, and was seen as a sign that Zenawi felt the greatest threat to the Ethiopian state was internal rather than external.[3]

Murder

In May 2001, Kinfe walked into an Officer's club in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. He was killed when Major Tsehaye Woldeselassie shot him from the back as Kinfe passed him.[4] Tsehaye was quickly arrested. Major Tsehaye's motive was unknown, but it was speculated that it was due to a dispute between former members of the TPLF, with some dissatisfied over the outcome of the recent war with Eritrea.

Alternatively, Paulos Milkias has suggested the motive may have been linked to internal politics: in the weeks before his assassination he had removed opponents of Zenawi from the Armed Forces and from opposition groups, with some killed and others forcibly 'disappeared'.[5]

Kinfe's funeral was held in the Addis Ababa, with thousands of people in attendance. Tsehaye was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death; he was executed on August 6, 2007.[6]

References
  1. "Army officer kills Ethiopia's security chief". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  2. "Hatfield Association General Meeting 2007". Hatfield Association. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  3. Szayna, Thomas, ed. (2000). "The Ethiopian Prospective Case". Identifying Potential Ethnic Conflict: Application of a Process Model (PDF). Santa Monica: RAND. pp. 198–199. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  4. "CNN.com - Ethiopia intelligence chief killed - May 12, 2001". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  5. Milkias, Paulos (2003). "Ethiopia, TPLF and Roots of the 2001 Political Tremor" (PDF). p. 21. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  6. "Ethiopia executes spy boss killer". BBC News. Retrieved 15 April 2018.


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