Brigadier General Megbey Haile, a TPLF military commander, denied any involvement in illegal gold mining operations in Tigray, saying he was unaware of the activities in question. “Ask the local leaders in the area. I have never been in the mining business,” he told Dimtsi Weyane Television. He confirmed that he owns a house in Dubai and spends summers in the United States with his five children. “I still have houses in Addis Ababa rented at good prices, and in Mekele as well,” he said, speaking in Tigrigna. The general indicated that these properties and assets are the fruit of his former business holdings.

Before 2020, while serving as a general in the federal forces, Megbey said he owned a transport company, a transit company, and an import-export business. He did not explain how he came to acquire them. He noted, however, that he closed all four of his companies before moving to Tigray in 2019, following the rise to power of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Regarding his overseas property, he added, “Yes, I have a good house in Dubai, which was constructed before Covid, and I used to have a bureau there.” He noted that only one of his sons lives abroad while the others remain in Tigray.

Tigray is believed to host large illegal mining operations, despite Canadian companies holding most foreign mining licences in the region. TPLF generals and soldiers are said to be linked to the boom in illicit mining, using machinery reportedly financed by the so-called foreign investors.