[citation needed] He was the ruler of Yejju until the emergence of Ras Welle Betul.
[citation needed] After the death of Ali Birru, Yejju was ruled by Dejazmach Zegeye Birru, who consolidated his rule of Yejju and at the same time extended it as far as River Ubuye, near the border with Tigray.
To defend the motherland from the Dervishes, the emperor ordered Zegeye to mobilize an expeditionary force to Metema.
[1] After his release from Maqdala, Ras Welle Betul, who was the brother of Menelik's wife Empress Taytu Betul, went to Shewa to visit Menelik II whom he knew while in prison in Maqdala under Emperor Tewodros II.
After a brief stay, Menelik II bestowed on Welle the title of Ras and appointed him governor of Yejju.