Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald).
Tigray Supreme Court Freezes Interim Administration’s Bank Account Over Unpaid Teachers’ Salaries
By Staff Writer
The Tigray Supreme Court has issued a temporary freeze on the bank account of the Tigray Regional Interim Administration (IRA) after the administration failed to comply with a previous court order to pay 17 months of overdue salaries to regional teachers.
The court’s decision follows a petition by the Tigray Teachers Association, which requested the court to intervene and allocate funds directly from the IRA’s account to compensate thousands of teachers who have gone unpaid since the outbreak of the war in late 2021.
The legal case, originally filed in November 2024 against both the IRA and Ethiopia’s federal Ministry of Finance, accuses the authorities of violating labor rights and causing “immense suffering” to educators across the region. Teachers’ representatives argue that despite the Pretoria peace agreement and the partial restoration of services, the education sector has been “deliberately neglected.”
“The court has taken a necessary and lawful measure to ensure justice is served,” said a legal advisor affiliated with the Teachers Association. “Teachers have been working without pay under extremely difficult conditions this is about dignity, not just money.”
The case has been adjourned to July 29 for further deliberation on the allocation of funds. In the meantime, the court has instructed police to enforce the freeze and ensure no transactions occur from the IRA’s account until the matter is resolved.
The Interim Administration has not publicly commented on the court’s decision, but sources close to the leadership say tensions are rising within the regional government over mounting legal and political challenges.
Critics of the IRA have accused it of mismanaging resources and failing to prioritize public sector workers despite receiving federal transfers and international humanitarian support.
The Ministry of Finance has also yet to issue a statement on its role in the dispute.
The ruling is being seen as a landmark moment in the Tigray region’s transitional justice efforts, as public institutions and civil society test the strength and independence of local courts after years of conflict and political upheaval.
