Prosperity Party cadres engaged in land grabbing in Kobo town have been exposed with tangible evidence of their looting

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Statement from the Amhara Fano National Force (AFNF) East Amhara Sector - Menelik Command 

Prosperity Party cadres engaged in land grabbing in Kobo town have been exposed with tangible evidence of their looting. 

English translation of statement issued on December 23, 2025 (Tahasass 14, 2018 E.C.) 

The AFNF Menelik Command has, over recent periods, issued repeated directives and public advisories regarding ongoing and widespread land grabs and looting undertaken by the fascist Prosperity Party regime. Despite this, the land seizures and plunder have continued and intensified unabated. In Kobo city of North Wollo, a multipurpose public hall, constructed with public funds, has been sold in violation of public directives. We have been able to confirm that an individual named Ato Dejene Mengesha sold this public property for 100 million ETB to his brother who resides in the middle east. 

While insiders state that the actual sale price was even higher than the publicly known value of 100 million ETB, only 80 million ETB was known to revenue authorities and other offices, while 20 million ETB was distributed among Prosperity Party cadres at various levels and to brokers. We have also learned that an undisclosed additional sum was given to officials within the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) at different levels. 

The Kobo city multipurpose hall, which was built with public contributions from residents of Raya Kobo, beginning during the Derg era and completed in 1984 E.C. (corresponding to 1991/92 G.C.) during the early EPRDF period, has today become a funding source for the fascist regime’s campaign of extermination. Under a strategy of “using the resources of the Amhara people against the people,” land sales have been used to procure weapons, ammunition and military supplies. 

As the fascist regime has been severely weakened by the Fano struggle and suffered severe financial collapse, it is attempting to alleviate this by carrying out land grabs and looting across all parts of the Amhara Region, selling land through illegal tenders and other unlawful means. 

Those identified, through personal and documentary evidence, as having sold the public Kobo multipurpose hall and shared the proceeds include the following Kobo city and North Wollo Zone officials: 

No.	Name of Official	Position of Official	Amount Received (ETB)
1	Ato Kedir Mustafa	Head, North Wollo Zone Prosperity Party Office	1.0 million
2	Ato Haileab Wendimu	Kobo city Mayor	6.0 million
3	Ato Yirga Wodajo	Head, Kobo city Services Office	6.2 million
4	Dr. Addisu Wodajo	Head, Kobo city Land Administration Office	1.0 million
5	Ato Abebe Yimer	Head, Kobo city Prosperity Party Office	200,000
6	Ato Muleta Mohammed	Team leader, Kobo city Infrastructure Office Land Development Bank	150,000
7	Ato Hailemariam Atikilt	Deputy Head, Kobo city Services Office	100,000
8	Unidentified	Broker (facilitated sale)	5.35 million
TOTAL	20 million

A total of 20 million ETB was illegally distributed for the sale of the property, including 14.65 million ETB paid to cadres of the fascist regime, while 5.35 million ETB was paid to the broker who facilitated the sale.

Finally, to the Amhara public - as the saying goes, “given time a clay pot can break stone.” The world will know the truth, that oppressors have forcibly seized your properties and used them to arm themselves with tanks, artillery, jets, and drones, to pay the salaries of their army of mercenaries, and all to commit genocide against you (using your own resources). Hence, we reiterate our message today - through your struggle, may you attain freedom, justice, and righteousness. 

The oppressors cannot carry the land away with them anywhere after all; “public property, in due time, belongs to the people.” We reaffirm this principle and urge our people to protect themselves from loss, destruction, and future accountability by refraining from purchasing illegally seized land from agents of the fascist regime. 

Lastly, we would like to inform the public that we are continuing to closely monitor land grabs and looting in other areas of Bete-Amhara, and will notify the public the findings of our investigation as evidence becomes available. 

1. Bank receipt showing transfer of 1,000,000 birr to Ato Kedir Mustafa (Head, North Wollo Zone Prosperity Party Office) via Shambel Endayenew

2. Bank receipt showing transfer of 2.5 million birr to Ato Haileab Wendimu (Kobo city Mayor) via Nigus Ayalew Getahun

Bank receipt showing transfer of 2.5 million birr to Ato Haileab (Kobo city Mayor) Wendimu via Estifanos Emru Zeleke

Bank receipt showing transfer of 1 million birr to Ato Haileab Wendimu (Kobo city Mayor) via Alemayehu Shiferaw Aredo

3. Bank receipt showing transfer of 5.3 million birr to Ato Yirga Wodajo (Head, Kobo city Services Office) via Mulu Takele Gebreselassie

   

   
   

   Bank receipt showing transfer of 900,000 birr to Ato Yirga Wodajo (Head, Kobo city Services Office) via Mekdes Melese Yimer

   

4. Bank receipt showing transfer of 1,000,000 birr to Dr. Addis Wodajo (Head, Kobo city Land Administration Office) via Mesaynesh Dejen Tsegne

   

   
   

5. Bank receipt showing transfer of 200,000 birr to Ato Abebe Yimer (Head, Kobo city Prosperity Party Office)

   

6. Bank receipt showing transfer of 150,000 birr to Ato Mulatu Mohammend (Team leader, Kobo city Infrastructure Office Land Development Bank)

   

7. Bank receipt showing transfer of 100,000 birr to Ato Hailemariam Atikilti (Deputy Head, Kobo city Services Office) via Desale Fentaw Mengesha

   

See December 23^rd, 2025 statement by Abebe Fentaw, Public Relations Head for the Amhara Fano National Force (AFNF) East Amhara Qetena (Menelik Command).