Ethiopia takes steps to remove Tigray government as conflict escalates

Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize last year but concerns are now mounting about a civil war

Credit: EBC/AFP

Ethiopian lawmakers voted Saturday to replace the current government of the federal state of Tigray, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed further air strikes on the region.

Fears are mounting about the prospect of civil war after Mr Abiy launched a military operation against the state’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which he has described as a "criminal clique" bent on destabilising the country.

On Saturday, the upper house of parliament "passed a decision to abolish the existing illegal Tigray regional assembly and executive, and for a caretaker administration to be formed," the state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported.

The decision was based on a legal provision allowing federal intervention in a region deemed to have "violated the constitution and endangered the constitutional system."

Tigray held its own elections in September, which Abiy's government considers illegitimate

Credit: AP Photo

"The caretaker administration will be mandated with conducting a constitutionally acceptable election and to implement decisions passed on by the federal government," EBC said.

TPLF dominated politics in Ethiopia for nearly three decades before Mr Abiy came to power in 2018 on the back of anti-government protests. Tigrayans account for about six per cent of the population and their state is one of 10 ethnic-based federal regions that make up the country.

Under Mr Abiy, Tigray’s leaders have complained of being unfairly targeted in corruption prosecutions, removed from top positions and broadly scapegoated for the country’s woes.

The feud became more intense after Tigray held its own elections in September, defying Abiy’s government which had decided to postpone national polls due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tigray is one of 10 ethnic-based federal regions that make up Ethiopia

Credit: REUTERS/Maggie Fick

Addis Ababa ruled the Tigray government was unlawful and in return Tigray said it no longer recognised Abiy’s administration.

As rhetoric heated up, Abiy, the winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, announced Wednesday that he had ordered military operations in response to an "attack" on a federal military camp, which TPLF denies.

Diplomats and humanitarian sources say fighting has unfolded in the west and that unless it stops soon, conflict in Tigray "will be devastating not just for the country but for the entire Horn of Africa," according to the International Crisis Group in a statement this week.

Given Tigray’s considerable military capabilities and its estimated 250,000 troops, war could be "lengthy and bloody", it said.