Sat 17 October 2026:
Six-month administration announced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed following military pushback against TPLF uprising
Ethiopia has declared that an interim government will assume authority over the state of Tigray after its armed forces regained control of the northern region.
The six-month administration was unveiled in a statement from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday. He committed to holding free elections in the state afterward.
The decision follows the Ethiopian military’s response to an uprising initiated last month by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The region’s main political party began the rebellion after declaring in April that it was reclaiming control of Tigray, effectively terminating a peace agreement with Ethiopia’s federal government.
The government stated that the interim administration would establish “a stable political situation” in Tigray to allow free elections to take place. It has named five officials to oversee the state, including the mayor of the capital, Mekelle.
These officials will implement “directives and instructions” issued directly by the federal government.
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The TPLF has not yet reacted to the announcement. The group launched a broad offensive in September alongside several other armed factions with the goal of overthrowing the Abiy administration. The Ethiopian government has alleged that the breakaway state of Eritrea supported the TPLF, a claim Eritrea has rejected.
After initial advances in the Afar region, the fighters were repelled and lost Tigray’s principal cities. They surrendered in Mekelle in early October. Eritrean troops that had entered Tigray pulled back following intensive drone strikes by Ethiopian forces.
The TPLF ruled Ethiopia for nearly three decades until 2018, when Abiy’s party took power. In response, Tigray boycotted national elections and refused to recognize the central government, deepening the divide.
The region continues to bear the scars of the 2020-2022 conflict between federal forces, then supported by Eritrea, and the TPLF, which claimed the lives of almost 600,000 people.
A peace agreement halted the fighting, yet crucial commitments remained unfulfilled, including the return of displaced residents and the disarmament of the TPLF.
Amid the latest escalation, Ethiopia and Eritrea have traded accusations of stirring conflict, heightening concerns about a broader war.
On Wednesday, the United States called on both parties to “de-escalate” in a phone conversation between Abiy and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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