New Delhi, Oct. 18 -- A day after Ethiopia's federal government named a six-month caretaker administration for Tigray, the Tigray People's Liberation Front warned the region's institutions that any that cooperate with it would be considered affiliated with the ruling party and held accountable.

Asefa Abrahaga Hagos as chief administrator and Shishay Amare as mayor of Mekelle, with six months to restore services, rebuild war-damaged infrastructure, help displaced residents return and prepare for elections, according to the prime minister's office.

The dispute is no longer about whether the new team exists. It is about whom an institution in Tigray answers to.

The government's own statement, Xinhua reported, described the war "launched f...