Ethiopia will place Tigray under a six-month interim administration after federal forces pushed back the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Friday.
The administration is intended to create conditions for free elections in the northern region, according to Al Jazeera’s report. Abiy’s government has appointed five officials to run Tigray, including Mekelle’s mayor, and said they would receive directives directly from the federal government.
France 24 reported that the caretaker administration was approved following a cabinet decision and would seek to establish a stable political situation before “free and transparent elections” are held. The regional government had been outside Addis Ababa’s control and did not participate in June federal elections, which were won by Abiy’s Prosperity Party.
The TPLF launched a major offensive in September after announcing in April that it was retaking control of Tigray, according to the reports. Ethiopian forces subsequently regained major cities, including the regional capital Mekelle; Al Jazeera said TPLF fighters surrendered there in early October.
The latest fighting has revived a conflict that killed almost 600,000 people between 2020 and 2022, according to Al Jazeera, before a peace deal ended the war. France 24 said key issues remained unresolved after that agreement, including the return of displaced people and the TPLF’s disarmament.
The TPLF has not responded to the interim-government announcement in the available reporting. Ethiopia and Eritrea have accused each other of contributing to the renewed tensions, while the United States urged de-escalation during a Wednesday call between Abiy and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Al Jazeera reported.