Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed Reappointed Prime Minister Amid Renewed Tigray Fighting

Abiy Ahmed was confirmed for another term as Ethiopia's prime minister by a unanimous parliamentary vote, the sole candidate presented by the Prosperity Party. The decision came days after federal troops entered Makale, the Tigray regional capital, which had been abandoned by TPLF leaders and fighters. Hostilities between the Ethiopian army and the Tigray People's one outlet Front reignited at the end of September, set against heightened friction with Eritrea, which Addis Ababa accuses of backing the TPLF.

In his address, Ahmed urged rebel groups to emerge from forest bases and engage in peace processes, and he stressed the strategic need for a Red Sea port, citing historical loss of access after Eritrea's 1993 independence. He also warned that internal traitors and external enemies were obstructing the country's progress. While banks in Makale reopened, cash shortages and fuel shortages persist, and the conflict remains unresolved with the TPLF pledging a guerrilla shift.