Five Shot in Adi Gudem Clash as Armed Men Supporting TPLF Faction Attempt to Seize Government Seals

UMD Media, March 11, 2025

Five people were shot this evening in Adi Gudem, a town 40 km south of Mekelle, Tigray’s capital, during a violent clash after armed men linked to suspended Tigray General Major General Yohannes Woldegiorgis stormed the local administration office. The assailants demanded the handover of government seals, allegedly aiming to transfer them to Debretsion’s faction of the TPLF.

According to Southeast Zone Chief Administrator Tsegay G/Tekle under Getachew Reda’s Tigray Interim Regional Administration, the attackers entered an ongoing meeting and ordered officials to surrender the office seal and keys. When officials resisted, the gunmen opened fire.

“Two people were shot in the head, one in the chest, one in the neck, and one in the leg,” Tsegay told 104.4 FM Radio Mekelle. Two of the victims were rushed to Ayder Referral Hospital for treatment. He further stated that the attackers severely beat several others with batons and took the town’s cabinet members, including the mayor and deputy mayor, away in a patrol vehicle to an undisclosed location. Their whereabouts remain unknown.

Tsegay condemned the attack, calling it a “shameful attempt to seize power at gunpoint.”