Ethiopian lawmakers approved slashing funding to the northern Tigray region, the upper house of parliament announced Wednesday, a decision a top Tigrayan official said was "tantamount to a declaration of war". The funding cuts are a response to Tigray's decision to hold regional elections last month despite a nationwide pause on all polls because of the coronavirus pandemic. The House of Federation, the upper house of parliament, previously dismissed the regional elections as "null and void". Tigray was due to receive federal budget subsidies totalling 10.4 billion Ethiopian birr (around $281 million) for the current fiscal year. - 'Unacceptable' -Tigray is governed by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated Ethiopian politics before Abiy came to power in 2018.

Source: Ethiopian News October 07, 2020 14:38 UTC