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Ethiopia Announces Interim Government in Tigray, Elections in Six Months
An interim government for Tigray was announced by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday, giving the caretaker administration six months to prepare free and transparent elections in the northern region.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 16, 2026
• 2 Min Read
A caretaker administration with an electoral mandate
Following a cabinet decision announced by his office on social media, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Friday that an interim administration would take charge of the northern Tigray region. The caretaker government will run the territory for six months, with the aim of producing a stable political situation in which free and transparent elections can be held.
How Tigray slipped from federal control
Tigray had previously been governed by the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which has clashed with government forces since September. The region had also sat outside Addis Ababa's authority and stayed away from June's federal elections, which were resoundingly won by Abiy's Prosperity Party.
The front's confrontation with federal forces escalated this autumn:
- •On September 23 the TPLF launched a major offensive against government forces, before being pushed back and losing control of its strongholds, including the regional capital.
- •In late September it formed an uneasy alliance with several disparate armed groups opposed to the government.
Accusations and the shadow of the 2020-22 war
According to Abiy's office, the TPLF leadership had no interest in a settlement and instead set the latest conflict in motion. "did not desire peace", the office said of the front's leadership, which it accused of initiating the latest "devastating war".
The federal government's statement argued that the people of Tigray must break free from the cycle of conflict in order to enjoy peace, self-governance and development.
The region's last war, fought between 2020 and 2022 against federal forces supported by Eritrean troops, left an estimated 600,000 dead before a 2022 peace deal ended the fighting - an agreement whose terms have caused lingering discontent.
A shifting regional alignment
The Tigray People's Liberation Front has meanwhile moved closer to neighbouring Eritrea, a country long at odds with Ethiopia.
The interim administration now takes charge for six months, with the stated goal of creating the conditions for elections in Tigray.
