Breaking: General Taddesse Werede, Colonel Tewolde Embeb, Esayas Taddesse and Colonel Gebregziabher Alemseged Locked Inside Their Hotel Rooms Right Now, Resisting Transfer Amid Fears They Could Be Taken to Eritrea

October 2, 2026

Four senior Tigrayan political and military figures who have been detained and held at a hotel in Mekelle are refusing to leave their rooms after Tigray security personnel ordered them to prepare to be moved to another location, according to police sources who spoke to UMD Media.

The four are General Taddesse Werede, Colonel Tewolde Embeb, Esayas Taddesse and Colonel Gebregziabher Alemseged.

General Taddesse Werede is the former president of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration, former commander of Tigray Defence Forces, and one of Tigray’s most senior military figures. Colonel Tewolde Embeb is the former intelligence chief of the Tigray Defence Forces, while Esayas Taddesse is another senior figure detained in the same security operation. Colonel Gebregziabher Alemseged is a former security official and is described by sources as a close friend and associate of General Taddesse. Their detention has drawn particular attention because all four are closely connected to Tigray’s former political, military and security leadership.

According to the police sources, the men have locked themselves inside their respective hotel rooms and are refusing to open the doors as security personnel attempt to move them.

Asked where authorities intended to take them, the police sources told UMD Media: Eritrea.

UMD Media has not independently verified that a transfer to Eritrea has been formally ordered or established the legal basis for any such transfer.

As of the time of publication, the confrontation was continuing, with the four men remaining inside their rooms while security personnel were reportedly seeking to remove them.

Family members are appealing urgently to Tigrayans, diplomats and the international community to intervene and prevent the four from being transferred to Eritrea.

The latest development follows their detention during the security operations in Mekelle last week. UMD Media previously reported that General Taddesse Werede and Colonel Tewolde Embeb were initially removed from their residences and taken to what police sources then described as an undisclosed “safe place” in Mekelle. Earlier reports had already raised concerns among political and military figures that they could eventually be transferred to Eritrea.

The situation remains fluid, and UMD Media is continuing to seek confirmation of the authority ordering the transfer and the condition of the four detainees.