Ethiopia appoints new leader in restive Tigray

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

The Ethiopian government on Friday named a chief executive to head the newly formed interim administration for Tigray region where armed clashes continue.

Mulu Nega has been appointed as the chief executive of the Tigray Regional State, ending the hegemonic grip of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in the region for three decades.

The decision to replace leaders of the TPLF, the largest political party of the region, was taken after a meeting by the Council of Ministers.

Last week, TPLF attacked the northern command of the Ethiopian defense forces stationed in Tigray region killing soldiers unawares and looting military assets.

The Ethiopian army mobilized for war in the region where a communication blackout has also been enforced.

“The Chief Executive will recruit and appoint heads to lead executive organs of the regional state from political parties legally operating in the region,” the Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement.

Massacre

Amnesty International on Thursday said it confirmed the massacre of scores of innocent civilians at Mai Cadra locality in western Tigray as the war continues between the Ethiopian army and forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

"The organization’s Crisis Evidence Lab has examined and digitally verified gruesome photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the town or being carried away on stretchers," it said in a statement. It said it confirmed the images were recent and using satellite imagery, geolocated them to Mai-Kadra in western Tigray state.

“We have confirmed the massacre of a very large number of civilians, who appear to have been day laborers in no way involved in the ongoing military offensive," the statement said."It is a horrific tragedy whose true extent only time will tell as communication in Tigray remains shut down,” Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa was quoted as saying.

According to the statement, Amnesty International has not confirmed who the perpetrators are but it cited eyewitnesses as having testified that the forces of the TPLF committed the crime.