Ethiopia sets up six-month Tigray caretaker government on Friday
Ethiopia set up a caretaker government to run the Tigray region for six months on Friday, Reuters and AP reported. It is meant to help people who fled go home and to hold an election within six months, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office said. The move follows new fighting between federal forces and Tigray rebels.
Ethiopia's government set up a six-month caretaker government for the northern Tigray region on Friday, Reuters and AP reported.
The caretaker body will help displaced people return home and prepare for an election within six months, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office said, according to Reuters and AP. It will also restore public services, AP reported, and repair damaged infrastructure, Abiy said, according to Reuters. AP said the election would be held under federal oversight.
"To attain the peace that has long eluded them, to secure their right to self-administration, and to finally enjoy the fruits of development," Abiy said in a post on X, the people of Tigray "must break free from this cycle of conflict," according to Reuters.
The move follows renewed fighting between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, Reuters and AP reported. The TPLF led an offensive against the government last month, Reuters reported. Government forces and allied fighters have since taken large parts of Tigray, including the regional capital Mekelle, Reuters reported. AP said the TPLF withdrew from Mekelle and government-allied fighters entered the city on October 4.
The fighting has effectively shattered a 2022 peace deal that ended a two-year war, AP reported. That war killed hundreds of thousands of people, Reuters reported. About 750,000 people in Tigray were still displaced as of February, according to the UN refugee agency, Reuters reported.
Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing the rebels, which Eritrea denies, Reuters reported. Eritrea called Ethiopia's claim that it was acting in self-defense a declaration of war, AP reported. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged calm in a call with Abiy on Wednesday, AP reported.
In Mekelle, hundreds of former fighters registered on Friday for a program to help them return to civilian life, AP reported. In an October 14 statement, the TPLF called Tigrayans who work with the federal government "traitors," AP reported.
What we know: A federally backed caretaker government will run Tigray for six months and is meant to prepare an election.
What we don't: Whether the TPLF will keep fighting, and whether an election can be held on that schedule.
Where outlets agree Reuters and AP report that Ethiopia set up a six-month caretaker government for Tigray that is meant to prepare an election within six months.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.