The Ethiopian government has appointed Getachew Reda, a Tigrayan rebel figure and adviser to the leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), to head the interim government of the northern Tigray region.
The appointment marks a significant step in the implementation of the peace deal signed by the TPLF and the Ethiopian government after two years of civil war.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the appointment on Thursday, stating that the interim administration of the Tigray region would be led by the TPLF until elections can be held.
The Ethiopian parliament removed the TPLF from the list of terrorist entities on Wednesday, as provided for in the peace agreement, paving the way for the establishment of an “inclusive” interim Tigrayan regional government.
Getachew Reda previously served as the Minister of Information in the Ethiopian federal government of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn between 2012 and 2018.
He has since become the public face of the TPLF, signing the African Union (AU)-mediated Pretoria Agreement with Abiy Ahmed’s National Security Adviser, Redwan Hussein.
The TPLF was all-powerful in Ethiopia for three decades before being gradually marginalized with the arrival of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018.
The conflict in Tigray began in November 2020 when Abiy Ahmed sent the federal army to Tigray, accusing the authorities in the region of attacking federal military bases.
The war has resulted in terrible atrocities, and the United States estimates that around 500,000 people have died.
The appointment of Reda comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Addis Ababa in mid-March, putting pressure on Ethiopia by linking the resumption of a broad economic partnership with Washington to “reconciliation and accountability” for the atrocities committed in Tigray.
On his return from Africa, Blinken accused all the belligerents in the conflict of committing war crimes and accused the Ethiopian Federal Army and its allies of crimes against humanity.
These steps towards peace come at a time when Ethiopia is facing the consequences of the conflict in Tigray, which has deprived the country of international aid and foreign exchange.
Washington has excluded Ethiopia from the benefits of Agoa, a mechanism that exempts some African countries from export taxes to the US.
The appointment of Reda and the establishment of an interim government may help to bring about much-needed stability to the region, but much work still needs to be done to address the root causes of the conflict and hold those responsible for atrocities accountable.