Ethiopia orders reconstitution of administrations in Amhara, Afar after TPLF defeat

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian federal government has announced that regional administrators have been ordered to reconstitute their administrative units with more competent cadres after federal forces and their regional allies pushed back rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to Tigray region.

This comes after the TPLF’s leader Debretsion Gebremichael announced that his forces were retreating from all war fronts to inside Tigray borders to help create what he calls an ‘opening for peace’ after government advance thwarted their hopes to attack the capital Addis Ababa.

In a statement, the Ethiopian Government Communications Service (GCS) said some people in the areas affected by the conflict, notably Amhara and Afar, have taken advantage of the conflict to increase basic commodity prices, and then ordered local administrators to reorganize their units after the defeat of the TPLF to help set up laws and orders.

“Some people who want to take advantage of the people’s problems are found to be motivated by unreasonable price increases on the basis of the Diaspora community coming home. This is hurting the poor and the government is taking the necessary steps to control these law enforcement agencies. Commercial bureaus and law enforcement agencies have been instructed to take the necessary action against those who inadvertently increase the cost of basic necessities and services,” the GCS said in a statement.

According to the statement, the federal government has also “evaluated the lack of consistent efforts to restore governance and address basic social problems in areas liberated from the terrorist TPLF. As a result, security problems and criminal activity are plaguing the liberated community.”

“Therefore, the Amhara Regional State Government should immediately organize its local administration with competent leaders. The regular police force has also been ordered to intensify its operations, and security forces operating in areas where they have not been able to do so have been ordered to take legal action against those who pose a threat to security in liberated areas,” the statement added.