The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) accused Maj. Gen. Yohannes Woldegiorgis, the commander known as John Medid, of betrayal on Tuesday, a day after the Tigray Peace Force said he was in federal custody.
In a statement titled "The Just Struggle of the People of Tigray Will Not Be Foiled by Treason and Ambition," the TPLF said the general had been separated from the Tigray forces' central command and called to an internal military evaluation but refused to appear, Mekelle Central reported. The party accused him and a small number of associates of targeting nearby commanders and staff and disclosing military secrets before "defecting to enemy forces." It said it would give more details later. The statement did not describe how he came into federal hands, and its accusations have not been independently verified.
An official of the Tigray Peace Force told DW Amharic that the general surrendered on Monday with 25 aides.
The general, a member of the central command of the TPLF forces and the former commander of its southern front, gave himself up to the Ethiopian National Defense Force and the Tigray Peace Force after federal troops surrounded him in a village called Semret in the Central Zone, the official said. Aides with ranks from major to colonel were taken into custody with him. The official spoke on condition that his name not be used.
The war that began on September 23 is being fought mainly in the Amhara region, where the federal army has been fighting Fano forces since August 2023 and where fighting spread across South Gondar over the weekend, residents told DW Amharic, as Mereja reported. The TPLF belongs to a seven-group alliance that also includes the Amhara Fano National Movement.
Accounts of how it happened differ. Wazema Radio reported that the Tigray Peace Force confirmed the general was under the control of Gov't forces but did not say whether he was captured in battle, surrendered or was found in hiding, or when and where he fell into their hands. Unconfirmed reports had said earlier that the TPLF's central military command had sidelined him, Wazema said. The account @hornafricanguy, citing Gov't sources, wrote that he surrendered near Semret kebele in Rama district with a colonel, six junior officers and 18 staff members, and that the air force was preparing a helicopter to bring him to Addis Ababa. BBC Somali, citing two sources close to the Ethiopian military, reported on Tuesday that he surrendered with his bodyguards, seven colonels and other officers, and that he is now in Adwa. The BBC said the surrender had not been independently or officially confirmed.
John Medid is best known in Tigray for a speech in which he said that "generations must be ready for sacrifice," adding that "for the next 50 years, 100 years, a generation must be prepared for sacrifice." Tigray politicians, and Tigray mothers in particular, criticized the words as cruel, DW reported. DW also said the general had held a different position from the group around TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael, arguing that the TPLF should not enter a "Tsimdo," or alliance, with Eritrea.
On X, accounts reacted to the reports of his surrender in different ways. @NatnaelMekonne7 recalled a speech the general gave in Mekelle three months ago: "We are armed with every type of weapon; within one week we will remove the Prosperity government and enter Addis Ababa." The account wrote under it: "Today?"
Others asked for proof. "If you captured him, show a video, interview him," @Korokon826345 wrote on Tuesday, adding that whether he was captured, surrendered or dead, it "wouldn't affect the determination of Tigrayans to fight for their freedom." Writing in Tigrigna, @Abrha_MG thanked the general for the price he had paid in Tigray's national struggle since childhood and said that struggle includes sacrifice, falling, winning, being captured and surrendering. Tesfa News said that if the surrender is confirmed, it would raise questions about divisions inside the TPLF's military leadership.
The surrender comes as federal forces tighten their hold on Tigray. The federal Government set up a trustee administration for the region on October 16 to run it for six months after federal forces and their allies took Mekelle, DW reported. On Saturday the Tigray Peace Force spokesman, Col. Solomon Hailemariam, ordered former TPLF cadres to register at police stations in their districts between October 25 and October 29, warning that those who did not would be treated as people planning to disturb the peace.
The Ethiopian National Defense Force had not commented as of Tuesday afternoon, and the Government Communication Service did not respond to a request for comment sent on Tuesday.
Sources
- DW Amharic live blog on the northern Ethiopia war, entries of October 25 to 27, 2026
- Wazema Radio on X, October 26, 2026 news summary
- @hornafricanguy on X (War Update 53)
- @NatnaelMekonne7 on X
- @Korokon826345 on X
- @Abrha_MG on X
- Tesfa News on X
- Mekelle Central, October 27, 2026 (TPLF statement)
- BBC Somali, October 27, 2026
- Al Jazeera, September 21, 2026 (seven-group alliance)