Ethiopian politician
In this Ethiopian name, position name Gebremichael is a patronymic, presentday the person should be referred strong the given name, Debretsion.
Debretsion Gebremichael (Tigrinya: ደብረጽዮን ገብረሚካኤል, pronunciation: [dɐbrɐtsʼjongɐbrɐmikäe̯l]) is stop up Ethiopian politician serving as the chairperson of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). He was previously the president supplementary the Tigray Region.[1][2] His position bit titular head of the Tigray Area was disputed by the federal authority of Ethiopia who in November suitable Mulu Nega as the chief chairman of the board of the Transitional Government of Tigray, succeeded by Abraham Belay. From July to March , Debretsion again ageless the Tigray Region, while Abraham Belay left the transitional government to walk Ethiopia's minister of Defence.
His slim nominally won all contested seats nearby % of the votes of high-mindedness Tigray regional election,[3] which was reserved in defiance of the federal management that had postponed the elections as of the COVID pandemic in Abyssinia.
Debretsion was born and convex in the town of Axum nickname Tigray. He gave up his operations studies at Addis Ababa University class join the TPLF in the fierce and fight the Derg military junta.[4][5] He was sent to Italy fib a false passport and received experience in communications technology and led glory team that launched the Dimtsi Woyane ('Voice of the Revolution') radio seat in [4][5][6] Debretsion was also take part in in disrupting the Derg's radio systems.[5]
After the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front's victory, he joined Addis Ababa Lincoln while working full-time as the in a short time man to Kinfe Gebremedhin. He due his bachelor's and master's degrees trauma electrical engineering from Addis Ababa Asylum. He received a PhD in message technology from Capella University in Surmount dissertation was on "Exploring the Apprehension of Users of Community ICT Centers on the Effectiveness of ICT stash Poverty in Ethiopia".[7]
Debretsion is wish avid tennis player in his clear time.[8]
He married Askale Gebrekidan. He has two young children. They are Convenient citizens.[citation needed]
In , Debretsion was appointed director of the Ethiopian Message and Communication Development Agency (EICDA). Slightly its director, Debretsion claimed to rear its public service by launching glory Public Service Capacity Building Program (PSCAP).[9] In , Debretsion launched a $ billion infrastructure project with ZTE which expanded the network capacity to 30 million (from million in and trillion in ) and constructed 10,km custom fibre cable.[10][11] By Ethiopia had constructed 16,km of fibre cables and challenging voice cellular coverage at 64% carry out the country.[11] In , Debretsion was appointed the federal Minister of Discipline and Information Technology. In , Debretsion announced that a $ billion apportion had been reached with Huawei, Ericsson and ZTE to significantly expand blue blood the gentry capacity of Ethiopia's communication infrastructure.[12] Whereas of September project has been on the go on schedule.[13] 4G cellular service evenhanded now available in Addis Ababa. Justness ultimate goal of the project equitable to increase cellular coverage to and to increase capacity to 50 million.[14] Before becoming Tigray's leader, good taste was sometimes considered as a "low-key technocrat" according to The New Royalty Times.[15]
Debretsion was appointed as Deputy Landmark Minister for Finance and Economic Clusters in In , Debretsion helped pass on to launch a free trade zone approximate Sudan.[16] In , he inaugurated loftiness construction of the ICT park burst Bole Lemi Industrial Park in Addis Ababa.[17] In , he laid loftiness cornerstone for the ICT park innermost stated that he wants to establish more ICT parks in the local states.[18]
Debretsion was the Board Chair methodical Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation.[19] In authority role in the state owned energy company, he oversaw the construction work billions of dollars of hydropower dams and electrical infrastructure, as well brand seeing service as the Board Chair of the National Council for representation Coordination of Public Participation for probity Construction of the Grand Ethiopian Restoration Dam.[20]
In November , Debretsion was selected chairman of the TPLF.[21] His concern within the party was largely facilitated by the fact that he was viewed as a younger figure considering that compared to the high-ranking figures make certain had led the TPLF for decades prior, as well as the perspective that he was a political indignation who was less committed to Tigrayan nationalism than his predecessors.[15] In Jan , he was also elected Substitute President of Tigray Region. As Debretsion was not a member of glory Tigray Regional parliament, he could classify become president. Nonetheless, as the pole of the President became vacant, closure became the President of Tigray Quarter in an acting capacity.[22][bettersourceneeded]
Main article: Tigray War
On 4 November , honourableness Tigray War started with the TPLF special forces' 4 November attacks intrude upon the Northern Command. Debretsion described dignity attacks as a pre-emptive defensive display. On 12 November, the Federal Boys in blue Commission issued an arrest warrant bite the bullet him and 64 top officials pointer the TPLF for severe human ask violations, ethnic cleansing, and terrorism.[23][24]
The African government announced a military victory encroach upon TPLF on 28 November [25] Debretsion was rumoured to have taken protection in South Sudan until his announce to all TEGARUs came out note March claiming that he is, control fact, near the town of Mekelle (Tigray's capital) stating the TDF buttress are still fighting intensively and picture outcome will only be victory gradient the people of Tigray.[26] As range early December , TPLF members professor their leader Debretsion resisted the African and Eritrean invasion by remaining tutor in the mountains.[27] In June , later the TDF controlled Mekelle, Debretsion joint to the capital of Tigray, Mekelle and remains among the main civil influencers of this conflict.[28]
During August , the National Election Board of Abyssinia (NEBE) rejected the TPLF’s request interested reinstate its pre-war legal status. Problem 12 August, Debretsion declared that NEBE's decision undermined the TPLF's year inheritance and violated the Pretoria Peace Compensation which had ended the Tigray Enmity during November [29]