Ethiopia has established a six-month Tigray caretaker administration following renewed clashes in the northern region, while hundreds of former fighters registered on Friday for a reintegration program aimed at returning them to civilian life.
According to the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Tigray caretaker administration is tasked with restoring public services, assisting displaced residents to return, and preparing an election within six months under federal supervision.
The move comes after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, withdrew from Mekelle and government-allied forces entered the regional capital on Oct. 4.
Recent fighting in Tigray has effectively unraveled a 2022 peace deal that ended a two-year war. Ethiopia has also accused Eritrean troops of occupying parts of its territory, while Eritrea denounced Ethiopia’s actions as a declaration of war.
Tigray caretaker administration and reintegration drive
In Mekelle, former combatants lined up at the Tigray Martyrs’ Memorial Monument to register with authorities, some holding documents and others shielding themselves from the sun with umbrellas. Registration started Wednesday, and officials did not disclose how many people had signed up.
“We were called upon by the TPLF to rejoin our former comrades and units, and doing so was even considered mandatory,” said Filmon Gebreselassie, a 33-year-old day laborer. “However, I did not want to return to war. I decided instead to focus on raising my children.” He said he disarmed after the 2022 peace agreement but could not enroll in the program before it was suspended amid rising tensions. He added that others were registering because they did not want to fight again.
Many young men at the site declined interviews, citing fear of retaliation from the TPLF. In an Oct. 14 post on its official Facebook page, the TPLF labeled Tigrayans working with federal authorities as “traitors” who would face “accountability and public judgment.”
Human Rights Watch reported in June that Tigrayan authorities then in control of Mekelle ordered former fighters back to their units in a compulsory recruitment drive. A TPLF spokesperson told the group that those defending the region were volunteers. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former Tigrayan fighters is a key element of the 2022 accord.
Analyst warns conflict not over
Abiy’s office accused the TPLF of obstructing the peace deal and said the latest fighting ended in a rebel defeat. The TPLF has urged its forces to keep fighting and called on Tigrayans to support them.
Magnus Taylor, deputy Horn of Africa director at the International Crisis Group, cautioned against assuming the conflict has ended with the loss of major towns. “We shouldn’t imagine that this conflict is completely over just because the TPLF has lost Mekelle,” he said, noting that control of urban centers and roads may hinder Tigrayan fighters without securing the vast rural areas where they regrouped during the previous war.
Ethiopia has also accused Eritrean troops of occupying Ethiopian territory, an allegation that could not be independently verified. Eritrea described Ethiopia’s assertion that it was taking self-defense measures as a declaration of war. Taylor warned that the proximity of Ethiopian and Eritrean forces heightens the risk of a broader confrontation.
The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged de-escalation in a call with Abiy on Wednesday. During the 2020 to 2022 conflict, Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian forces. That war caused about 500,000 civilian deaths through violence, famine and the collapse of health services, according to researchers at Ghent University in Belgium.
