By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — Amhara Region Chief Administrator Arega Kebede has appointed Lieutenant General Tigabu Yilma, former commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), as the region’s new Police Commissioner, according to a statement published on the regional police force’s official Facebook page.
He replaced Commissioner General (Dr.) Zelalem Mengiste, a career police officer who led the Amhara Regional Police Command for 17 months since March 2025. Zelalem has returned to his previous post as Deputy Commissioner General of the Federal Police.
Lt. Gen. Tigabu assumes leadership of the regional police force during ongoing security challenges in the Amhara region over the past three years. A senior military officer with more than 40 years of service in the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), his career includes serving in several critical roles: as head of both the Defense Health Directorate and the Defense Logistics Directorate, as a member of the senior Defense Council governing military strategy, and as head of the Federal Police Health Main Department prior to his current appointment.
Beyond his domestic military career, Lt. Gen. Tigabu commanded AMISOM from February 2019 to August 2020, leading international forces against Al-Shabaab in Somalia. He represented Ethiopia at a July 2026 conference of troop-contributing countries in Kampala, Uganda, regarding the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which succeeded ATMIS and AMISOM.
Lt. Gen. Tigabu’s transition from the armed forces to police leadership follows a broader trend within Ethiopia’s security apparatus. In March 2026, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Lieutenant General Asrat Denero, former Ground Forces commander and Military Intelligence Director, to lead the Addis Ababa Police Commission.
The leadership change unfolds as federal authorities track an emerging coalition of regional armed groups referred to as “Tsimdo,” which allegedly links local Fano units with Tigrayan armed elements.
Zemene Kasse, leader of the Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM), publicly stated in a recent interview that cross-group cooperation talks involving Tigrayan, Gumuz, Berta, Somali, and Oromo forces have been underway for eight months. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian National Defense Force, operating alongside regional police units, continues to lead security operations across the region.
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