The interim administration of the Tigray region needs more than 20 billion birr to pay unpaid salaries to the region's employees, regional media reported at a meeting with stakeholders from the education sector.

The interim administration's vice president, Ato Amanuel Assefa, said, "Although the workers' demands are legitimate, it is very difficult to allocate 20 billion birr for salaries," adding that the administration cannot meet this demand immediately. "The administration plans to allocate five percent of the next budget for this issue," he added.

The president of the regional interim administration, Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede, who attended the meeting, said that the administration will respond to the teachers' complaints. He stated that the federal government is on the position of "not paying for time not worked," and that the interim administration is reviewing the issue and working at full speed to find an urgent solution.

In July 2017, the Tigray Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of over 500 million birr from the regional finance bureau's account to pay unpaid teachers' salaries.

It is also worth noting that the Tigray Supreme Court, which is handling the case of the region's teachers demanding 17 months' salary in connection with the war in the Tigray region, has ruled to freeze the bank accounts of the Interim Administration.