Ethiopia's TPLF rejects new Tigray administration as illegitimate

Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has rejected the federal government's newly appointed caretaker administration in the northern Tigray region, describing it as an illegitimate political structure imposed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ruling Prosperity Party.

According to local media, the party has challenged both the legitimacy of the appointment process and the new leadership's authority.

In a statement on Saturday, the TPLF called the new administration a "Prosperity structure" and declared that decisions made under its authority would have "no legality or enforceability."

The party also warned institutions against cooperating with the new leadership, saying those that did so would be considered affiliated with the ruling Prosperity Party and held accountable.

The rejection came hours after Abiy's government dissolved Tigray's previous interim administration and appointed a new leadership team to govern the conflict-hit region for six months.

The government named Asefa Abrahaga Hagos as chief administrator, with other officials assigned responsibility for security, reconstruction and political affairs. The government appointed Shishay Amare mayor of Mekelle, Tigray's regional capital.

According to the prime minister's office, the administration will restore public services, rebuild infrastructure damaged by fighting, facilitate the return of displaced residents, and prepare the region for elections within six months.

"The people of Tigray must emerge from the agony of conflict to reclaim their distant peace, reaffirm their right to self-administration, and be able to heal the developmental setbacks they have suffered over the many past years," the prime minister's office said on Friday.

The TPLF, however, maintained that the appointees lacked the authority to govern the region and challenged the legitimacy of decisions made under federal supervision.

The party accused the federal government of using airports in Tigray for military purposes, and warned residents to stay away from the facilities.

The TPLF did not provide independently verifiable evidence to support its allegations about military activities at the airports.

The political confrontation comes amid renewed fighting between Ethiopian government forces and Tigrayan opposition fighters.

Federal troops and allied Tigray Peace Force (TPF) fighters have expanded their control across northern Tigray, including Mekelle and several strategic towns near the Eritrean border.

The renewed conflict threatens the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended a devastating two-year war between Ethiopia's federal government and Tigrayan forces.

The fighting has also heightened tensions between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea, with both governments exchanging accusations of military aggression amid growing international calls for de-escalation.