Career
He had military successes in Somalia and Eritrea, notably as commander of the forces around Jijiga during the Ogaden War. Elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General, Tesfaye Gebre Kidan went on to serve as the longtime Minister of Defence, then on 14 May 1988 was made military governor and general commander in Eritrea.
He was recalled to Addis Ababa from Asmara to serve on the military tribunal, which tried the high-ranking officers who had tried to depose President Mengistu in 1989 following the decisive defeat at the Battle of Shire.
He became vice-President of the People"s Democratic Republic of Ethiopia until 21 May 1991, when Mengistu fled as rebel forces closed in on the capital, making him acting president "Soldiers wantonly looted state property." Tesfaye informed the United States. chargé d"affaires in Addis Ababa that he could no longer control the situation, then after announcing a unilateral cease-fire he fled for the safety of the Italian Embassy.
The General remained a virtual prisoner in the Embassy until 2 June 2004, when he was killed in a brawl with his fellow Derg member and former Foreign Minister Birhanu Bayeh, who had accompanied him into the Embassy 13 years earlier.