In an effort to quell rising tensions in its troubled Tigray region, Ethiopia’s prime minister has said he will appoint a new leader in the area.

Tigray’s interim President Getachew Reda fled to the capital, Addis Ababa, earlier this month following a power struggle in the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which runs the region.

In a novel approach, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asked Tigrayans to suggest who the region’s new leader should be via email.

The infighting has sparked fears that Tigray could return to the civil war that claimed an estimated half a million lives.

Prime Minister Abiy on Wednesday said Tigray’s leadership had failed to create the conditions for elections following the 2020-22 civil war which saw the TPLF battle Ethiopia’s federal government.

A peace deal – known as the Pretoria Agreement – stopped the gruelling conflict and led to the formation of an interim administration, which was tasked with running the region until elections were held.

Getachew was appointed to run the administration as part of the agreement, taking over from former leader Debretsion Gebremichael.

But two weeks ago, Debretsion led a TPLF faction which took control of the Tigray administration.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Prime Minister Abiy said that “taking into account the realities on the ground” it was “necessary to appoint a new president of the interim administration”.

Abiy invited the people of Tigray to suggest candidates for the position via email.

He also said the interim administration’s two-year mandate would be extended by another year.

Prime Minister Abiy’s decisions may help to stabilise the row in Tigray, law expert Teklit Gebremeskel told the BBC.

“The situation has been deteriorating but there was an opportunity to pause, reflect and find a solution,” he said.

“The situation could be reconfigured to bring all sectors of Tigray together and create a new path forward.”

Hailu Kebede, a member of Tigray’s opposition, had a more critical take on the announcement.

“The message is simple. It puts self-governance and the Pretoria Agreement in danger,” he said.

Although Tigray now has a chance to select its own leaders, Abiy is also sending a message – “that if the prime minister can appoint a president in the Tigray region, he can do so elsewhere”, Kebede told the BBC.

Tigray has continued to face challenges since the peace deal was signed, including delays in demobilising TPLF forces and vast humanitarian needs.

Several countries including the US, UK and the European Union have warned about the recent power struggle, saying there must be “no return to violence”.

Amid these concerns, Abiy has acknowledged that the Ethiopian army is currently overstretched, given ongoing conflicts in the Oromia and Amhara regions. “My answer is peace,” he told the Ethiopian parliament last week.

The conflict in Tigray killed an estimated 500,000 people. All parties – including neighbouring country Eritrea, which backed the government – were accused of gross abuses, such as the mass killing of civilians and widespread sexual violence.

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