Ethiopia's PM appoints Getachew Reda as head of Tigray interim govt

ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's office of the Prime Minister said on Thursday an interim administration for the Horn of Africa country's northern region of Tigray has been established, a key step in the implementation of a peace plan to end the war there.

The interim administration was set up by the upper chamber of Ethiopia's parliament with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointing Getachew Reda, as the head of the interim administration, a statement posted on the Prime Minister's Facebook page said.

The establishment of a temporary administration for Tigray was part of a peace pact signed in South Africa in November between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government to end the war in Tigray.

It was necessary "to establish an inclusive interim administration to ensure a sustainable peace and stop conflict," the statement said.

The conflict ended with a truce signed in Pretoria last November after tens of thousands of people were killed and millions forced from their homes.