After the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had gained ground on Tuesday, Ethiopia’s central government declared a six-month nationwide state of emergency with immediate effect. Among other things, it enables roadblocks to be set up, traffic and communication links to be interrupted and the military to take over administration in certain areas. In addition, suspects with ties to the enemy can be detained until the state of emergency continues, as the Council of Ministers said. The military conflict began about a year ago when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed began to oust the TPLF, which was in power in the Tigray region. Since the beginning of August, the conflict has spread to the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara – it has led to a serious humanitarian crisis in the north of the country. The authorities in the capital Addis Ababa called on residents to defend their neighborhoods in conflict with the TPLF. People should have firearms registered with the police for the next two days. All parts of society are called to cooperate. Abiy Ahmed accused unspecified black and white foreigners of supporting the TPLF on Monday evening. In the conflict, the military recently had to withdraw from important cities in the Amhara region, which borders the capital. With rebels from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the TPLF was able to gain access to one of the most important highways. It is now advancing towards Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia – state of emergency after the advance of the Tigray rebels – politics
