ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has named a six-month caretaker administration for the northern Tigray region and set a goal of holding elections there within that time, after federal forces pushed back an offensive by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Reuters and Ethiopia’s state news agency ENA reported Friday.
The administration was created by a Council of Ministers regulation following a House of Federation decision, and will operate under federal direction, ENA said. Its tasks include restoring security and public services, repairing war damage, returning displaced people and the “disarmament and reintegration of armed elements.” Its mandate excludes long-term strategic decisions until an elected regional government takes office.
“The people of Tigray must break free from this cycle of conflict,” Abiy said in a statement posted on X, Reuters reported. The TPLF led an offensive against the government last month, reviving a war that killed hundreds of thousands in 2020–22; Ethiopia’s military and allied militia have since taken large parts of Tigray, including the regional capital Mekelle. A TPLF spokesperson did not immediately comment.
Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing the rebels, which they deny. Around 750,000 Tigrayans were still internally displaced as of February, according to the U.N. refugee agency, and the region faces drought linked to El Niño, Reuters said.
Sources: Reuters (via CNBC Africa), ENA, The Reporter via allAfrica
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