Abay Tsehaye

Who is Abay Tsehaye?

Abay Tsehaye is the Minister of Federal Affairs of Ethiopia. The field of work of his ministry includes police functions and Addis Ababa city administration.

Born at Axum, he attended high school in Mek'ele, afterwards attended Addis Abeba University. Abay had been a student activist during his years at Haile Selassie University in the early 1970s, being a member of the Tigrayan University Students' Association. According to Aregawi Berhe, he was one of seven students who met on 14 September 1974 at an inconspicuous cafe in the Piazza district to create the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front. Abay was selected to be one of the first group to be given military training by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, arriving in Asmara, January 1975. With Meles Zenawi and Sibhat Nega, Abay was one of founders of the Marxist-Leninist League of Tigray in July, 1985.

Following the end of the Ethiopian Civil War, Abay became Minister of Federal Affairs in 2001. Tsehaye is also an executive member of the Central Committee of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front.