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Ethiopia announces six-month interim administration for Tigray
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced a six-month interim administration for Tigray and pledged that free elections would follow.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced an interim administration for the northern Tigray region on October 16, 2026. His office said the caretaker administration would govern for six months following a cabinet decision.
The government said the administration would establish political stability so that free elections could be held. It appointed five officials to run Tigray, including the mayor of the regional capital, Mekelle.
The appointed officials will carry out directives and instructions issued directly by the federal government, placing their work under federal direction during the interim administration.
The announcement followed a September 23 offensive by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) against government forces. The group was subsequently pushed back and lost strongholds, including Mekelle. Tigray had been outside the federal government's control and did not participate in June's federal elections.
TPLF vice president Amanuel Assefa rejected the arrangement, saying the region could not be governed by people he described as puppets of the administration in Addis Ababa.