Ethiopia announces instalment of interim government in Tigray

After military pushed back TPLF uprising, PM Abiy Ahmed promises free elections within six months.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the installation of an interim government in Tigray [Reuters]

Ethiopia has announced that an interim government will take control of the state of Tigray, after its armed forces retook control of the northern region.

The installation of the six-month administration was announced in a statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday. He pledged that free elections would then be held in the state.

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The move comes after the Ethiopian military pushed back an uprising launched last month by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Tigray’s main political party had launched the insurrection after announcing in April that it was retaking control of the region, effectively ending a peace deal with Ethiopia’s federal government.

The government promised that the interim government would create “a stable political situation” in Tigray so that free elections could be held. It has appointed five officials to run the state, including the mayor of the capital, Mekelle.

The officials will carry out “directives and instructions” delivered directly from the federal government.

The TPLF has yet to respond to the announcement. The rebel group launched an ambitious offensive in September in alliance with several other armed groups aimed at toppling the Abiy government. The Ethiopian government has accused the breakaway state of Eritrea of supporting the TPLF, accusations that Eritrea has denied.

After some early gains in the Afar region, its fighters were defeated and lost Tigray’s major cities. They surrendered in Mekelle in early October. Eritrean troops who had entered Tigray withdrew after heavy drone strikes from the Ethiopian armed forces.

The TPLF governed Ethiopia for nearly 30 years until 2018, when Abiy’s party came to power. Tigray, in response, boycotted national elections and rejected the central government, creating a severe rift.

The region remains scarred by the 2020-2022 war between federal forces, backed at that time by Eritrea, and the TPLF, which resulted in the killing of almost 600,000 people.

A peace deal ended the fighting, but key promises were not kept, including the return of displaced people and the disarmament of the TPLF.

Since the recent escalation, Ethiopia and Eritrea have accused each other of inciting war, raising fears of a wider conflict.

On Wednesday, the United States urged both sides to “de-escalate” during a phone call between Abiy and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

在军方镇压了提格雷人民解放阵线的起义后，总理阿比·艾哈迈德承诺在六个月内举行自由选举。

埃塞俄比亚总理阿比·艾哈迈德宣布在提格雷成立临时政府 [路透社]

埃塞俄比亚宣布，在武装部队重新控制北部提格雷州后，将成立一个临时政府来控制该州。

总理阿比·艾哈迈德周五发表声明，宣布成立为期六个月的临时政府。他承诺，随后将在该州举行自由选举。

列表 1/4 埃塞俄比亚、厄立特里亚加剧言辞交锋：他们是否正走向战争？

目击者称，埃塞俄比亚军队进入提格雷州战略重镇阿杜瓦（共4份名单，此为第2份）。

埃塞俄比亚提格雷战争（共 4 个问题，这是第 3 个）：阿联酋和沙特阿拉伯的立场是什么？

埃塞俄比亚军队扩大在提格雷的控制范围，民兵声称在厄立特里亚的战斗中失利（共4条记录，此为第4条）。埃塞俄比亚军队扩大了在提格雷的控制范围，民兵声称在厄立特里亚的战斗中失利。

此前，埃塞俄比亚军方镇压了提格雷人民解放阵线（提人阵）上个月发动的起义。提格雷的主要政党在4月份宣布重新控制该地区后发动了这场起义，此举实际上终结了与埃塞俄比亚联邦政府达成的和平协议。

政府承诺，临时政府将在提格雷州创造“稳定的政治局势”，以便举行自由选举。政府已任命五名官员管理该州，其中包括首府默克莱市市长。

官员们将执行联邦政府直接下达的“指示和指令”。

提格雷人民解放阵线（TPLF）尚未对此声明作出回应。该反叛组织于9月联合其他几个武装团体发动了一场旨在推翻阿比政府的大规模攻势。埃塞俄比亚政府指责分离主义政权厄立特里亚支持提格雷人民解放阵线，但厄立特里亚否认了这些指控。

在阿法尔地区取得一些早期进展后，其武装力量战败，失去了提格雷的主要城市。10月初，他们在默克莱投降。此前进入提格雷的厄立特里亚军队在埃塞俄比亚武装部队的猛烈无人机袭击后撤退。

提格雷人民解放阵线（TPLF）执政埃塞俄比亚近30年，直至2018年阿比领导的政党上台。作为回应，提格雷州抵制全国选举并拒绝承认中央政府，导致严重分裂。

该地区至今仍未从 2020 年至 2022 年联邦军队（当时得到了厄立特里亚的支持）与提格雷人民解放阵线之间的战争创伤中恢复过来，这场战争导致近 60 万人丧生。

和平协议结束了战斗，但一些关键承诺没有得到兑现，包括流离失所者返回家园和提格雷人民解放阵线解除武装。

自最近局势升级以来，埃塞俄比亚和厄立特里亚互相指责对方煽动战争，引发了人们对冲突扩大的担忧。

周三，美国敦促双方在阿比和美国国务卿马可·卢比奥的通话中“缓和局势”。