Ethiopia has appointed a military officer Bacha Debele who has been at the forefront of the fight against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front as its next ambassador to Kenya.
General Bacha Debele will succeed Meles Alem-Tekea, a career diplomat who has been stationed in Nairobi since 2019, having started as a junior staff member.
He was on a list released on Thursday by the Foreign Affairs ministry of appointments of ambassadors and deputy heads of missions to 29 countries.
They were appointed by President Sahle-Work Zewde two months ago to countries like Kenya, Egypt, the US and Eritrea.
The Nairobi position was noteworthy in deploying a military man who had been fighting the TPLF forces since 2020 and frequently spoke out in public about the activities.
General Bacha served as the Chief of Army Staff in the Ministry of Defence after the Tigray crisis broke out, and was raised to the rank of general early this year.
Following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s nomination, he was one of four senior military officers promoted to generals by the President.
Other appointments include Dr Sileshi Bekele, who had served as the Minister of Water, Energy and Irrigation, who will now head Ethiopia’s mission in the United States.
Dr. Sileshi is well-known for his pivotal role in trilateral talks with Sudan and Egypt over Ethiopia’s massive Nile dam project, which both nations oppose.