On Saturday, party-run media reported that Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region’s dominant party nominated its spokesman Getachew Reda to lead an interim regional administration mandated by a peace deal that ended a two-year war.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fought Ethiopian forces and their allies in a war that killed tens of thousands. Federal forces won several battles last November, leading to a truce.
If the federal government approves Getachew’s nomination, he will succeed Debretsion Gebremichael, who has led Tigray since 2018.
The federal government’s opinion on Getachew’s nomination and the interim administration’s formation is unknown.
Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu did not respond to a request for comment.
Aid workers say the lack of an interim administration in Tigray has hampered humanitarian help to millions in need.
They added relief agencies have no clear contact, and public workers and medical staff have not been paid.
Getachew’s nomination comes days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ethiopia and commended the peace pact’s implementation but warned that more work was required.
Blinken stressed the necessity of the interim administration to Getachew and Ethiopian authorities during that visit.
Comment Template