Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appoints interim administration for Tigray — Daily Maverick

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed an interim administration for the northern Tigray region. It is expected to stabilize the situation and create conditions for free and transparent elections within six months, Daily Maverick reports.

Powers of the interim administration

According to the prime minister’s office, the administration will operate for six months. Its tasks include restoring damaged infrastructure and helping displaced residents return home.

Abiy said that Tigray residents must break out of the cycle of conflict in order to achieve peace, guarantee the right to self-government, and gain the opportunity to benefit from the results of the region’s development.

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Armed confrontation and humanitarian situation

Last month, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the region’s ruling party, led an offensive against Abiy’s government. This reignited a war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in 2020–2022. Since the start of the hostilities, the Ethiopian army and a government-backed militia have made significant gains and taken control of large parts of Tigray, including the regional capital, Mekelle.

The renewed conflict has also led to a rupture in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea of supporting the rebel alliance, but Asmara denies this. The Ethiopian government also accuses Egypt and Sudan of supporting the alliance; both countries have rejected these claims.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, as of February, about 750,000 Tigray residents remained internally displaced. The region is also suffering from an El Niño-related drought.