Ethiopia has announced the installation of an interim government in the northern region of Tigray, following the Ethiopian military's recapture of the area from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made the announcement in a statement on Friday. He pledged that free elections would be held in Tigray within six months.

The government said the interim administration would create "a stable political situation" in the region ahead of those elections. Five officials have been appointed to run the state, including the mayor of the regional capital, Mekelle. The officials will carry out "directives and instructions" delivered directly from the federal government.

The TPLF had launched an insurrection in September, in alliance with several other armed groups, aimed at toppling the Abiy government. The offensive followed the TPLF's announcement in April that it was retaking control of Tigray, effectively ending a peace deal with the federal government.

After initial gains in the Afar region, TPLF fighters were defeated and lost Tigray's major cities. They surrendered in Mekelle in early October.

The Ethiopian government accused the breakaway state of Eritrea of supporting the TPLF during the uprising. Eritrea denied those accusations. Eritrean troops who had entered Tigray subsequently withdrew following heavy drone strikes by Ethiopian armed forces.

The TPLF had governed Ethiopia for nearly 30 years until 2018, when Abiy's party came to power. Tigray responded by boycotting national elections and rejecting the central government, creating a severe political rift.

The region remains scarred by the 2020-2022 war between federal forces, backed at that time by Eritrea, and the TPLF. That conflict resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, with one source citing a figure of almost 600,000.

A peace deal ended that fighting, but key provisions were never implemented, including the return of displaced people and the disarmament of the TPLF.

The recent escalation has reignited tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with both countries accusing each other of inciting war and raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

On Wednesday, the United States urged both sides to de-escalate. The call came during a phone conversation between Prime Minister Abiy and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The TPLF has not yet responded to Friday's announcement of the interim administration.