Ethiopia removes Tigray regional government leader

Ethiopia announced Wednesday that the head of the interim administration of the war-torn Tigray region had been removed following a performance review.

Mulu Nega, a former higher education official, held the position after fighting began in November. He is being replaced by Abraham Belay, who had been serving as the minister of innovation and technology in the federal government, according to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

"The appointment is a result of a six-month performance review of the role," the spokesperson told AFP.

Abraham is a member of Abiy's Prosperity Party. Neither Mulu nor Abraham immediately commented on the decision.

Dangerous political situation in Tigray

Abiy sent troops to the Tigray region of the country after he accused the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking federal army camps. The prime minister, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize laureate,soon declared victory over the TPLF and "completed and ceased the military operations in the Tigray region" according to a Twitter post.

The fighting is believed to have killed thousands of people and displaced more than 1 million. Violence still occurs in the region, including an recent attack on a hospital.

Mulu attempted to establish an interim government after the national army took over the regional capital, Mekele.

Mulu told the AFP news agency in February that he did not plan to stay in the position for long, planning to leave after elections were held in the region.

The Tigray region will not take part in national elections scheduled for next month. It is unclear when voting will take place.

Ongoing humanitarian crisis

Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Wednesday described an "alarming" malnutrition situation in Tigray due to the conflict.

Karline Kleijer, head of MSF's emergency support department, said 26.6% of children screened at remote clinics in recent weeks were malnourished, and 6% were severely acutely malnourished.

The fighting in the region disrupted a harvest in the region which was already food insecure. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the ongoing conflict an impending humanitarian "disaster" and "ethnic cleansing."

AFP obtained documents last month from the Abiy-appointed regional government that claimed neighboring Eritrean soldiers were blocking and looting food aid in the region. Eritrea denied the allegations.

In a statement, Kleijer said, "the quality and quantity of food available has fallen sharply, with many families eating just one meal a day and often only bread."

MSF has previously accused Ethiopian soldiers of stopping buses and executing men.

Kleijer expressed concerns that the impending rainy season will worsen food insecurity issues, "as fields are often inaccessible to the farmers due to the conflict or they don't have the means to plant crops."

kbd/rc (AFP, Reuters)