Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed appoints interim Tigray government

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed an interim government for the northern Tigray region, following a recent outbreak of conflict. The move aims to bring peace to the area, which has been plagued by fighting between the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and a rebel alliance. Prime Minister Ahmed stated that the people of Tigray must end the cycle of conflict to enjoy development and self-administration.

However, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) leadership did not seek peace and instead initiated the latest devastating war. The interim administration will oversee Tigray for the next six months and will focus on tasks such as conducting free and fair elections, returning displaced communities, restoring government services, and protecting infrastructure.

The conflict erupted in September when the TPLF and six other armed groups launched an offensive against the Abiy administration. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing the TPLF, while Eritrea denies the claim, saying that Addis Ababa is using the conflict to justify military action and seize control of the Red Sea Port of Assab. The civil war from 2020 to 2022 resulted in over 600,000 deaths and continues to displace large numbers of people.