Ethiopia installs interim Tigray administration, promises elections within six months

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed a caretaker government for the northern Tigray region and said elections should be held there within six months.

The interim administration will run the region under federal guidance, Anadolu Agency reported. Its tasks include restoring public services, repairing infrastructure damaged in the fighting, helping displaced people return home and preparing for a free and fair vote. Al Jazeera reported that five officials, including the mayor of the regional capital Mekelle, were appointed.

In a statement posted on X, Abiy said the people of Tigray must break free from the cycle of conflict, Reuters reported. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) did not immediately respond.

Background to the move

The new team will act on directives from the federal government until an elected regional government takes office.

The TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades until 2018, launched an offensive with allied armed groups in September. Federal troops and allied militia have since taken large parts of Tigray, including Mekelle.

The renewed fighting has revived fears of a return to the 2020-22 war, which killed hundreds of thousands of people and left many facing famine. About 750,000 Tigrayans were still internally displaced as of February, according to the UN refugee agency.

The 2022 Pretoria peace agreement that ended the earlier war had promised the return of displaced people and the disarmament of TPLF forces, but those commitments were not fully delivered, contributing to the latest breakdown.

Regional tensions

Ethiopia accuses neighbouring Eritrea of backing the rebels, a charge Asmara denies, and has also accused Egypt and Sudan of supporting them; both deny it. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged de-escalation in a call with Abiy this week.

Why it matters

The Horn of Africa sits beside the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a shipping route vital to trade between Asia and Europe. India has long-standing ties with Ethiopia, including development partnerships and a sizeable business presence, and regional instability affects both trade and the safety of Indian nationals in the area.