Ethiopia installs a six-month caretaker administration in Tigray and promises elections

16 October 2026

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has named an interim administration for Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, announced on 16 October 2026, and pledged that free elections will follow. The administration is to hold office for six months and create the conditions for elections in that period. Five officials were appointed to run Tigray, including the mayor of the regional capital Mekelle, and they are to carry out directives and instructions from the federal government. Its stated priorities are repairing damaged infrastructure and helping displaced people return home. The Tigray People's Liberation Front had announced in April 2026 that it was retaking control of the region, and launched an offensive in September 2026 before its fighters surrendered in Mekelle in early October. The war of 2020 to 2022 in the region killed hundreds of thousands. As of February about 750,000 Tigrayans were internally displaced according to the United Nations refugee agency.