File Photo: People react as captive Ethiopian soldiers walk towards Mekele Rehabilitation Center in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia. AFP
The region still suffers from the aftermath of a brutal two-year conflict, ended by a 2022 peace deal in Pretoria that established the interim administration.
The war was one of the deadliest in recent decades, claiming roughly 600,000 lives and pitting Tigrayan rebels against federal forces, supported by local militias and the Eritrean army.
"The federal government, taking into account the realities on the ground, is taking action... in order to extend the mandate of the interim government" by one year, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed posted on X, adding that the administration had been "unable to complete its essential tasks within the given timeframe".
Writing in Tigrinya, he said it had "become necessary to appoint a new head of the interim administration" in Tigray to replace Getachew Reda, but did not specify a timetable for replacing him.
The current tensions in Tigray stem from an internal power struggle between Getachew and Debretsion Gebremichael, head of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
Short link: