Ethiopia – Ethiopian lawmakers have voted to end the country’s three-month state of emergency, citing improvement of security conditions in the country.
The lawmakers said that mediation efforts continue to end the deadly war in the northern region of the country. The six-month state of emergency was declared last November when rebel Tigrayan forces were threatening to march in Addis Ababa.
Tuesday’s vote by lawmakers came after Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, decided on January 26 to end the state of emergency early, in light of improving security conditions in Ethiopia.
Reportedly, the Tigrayan forces withdrew back into the Tigray region in December because of the mediation efforts from a drone-supported military offensive carried out by the government.
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According to witnesses, lawyers, and human rights groups, many ethnic Tigrayans were detained under a state of emergency. Many Tigrayans were released after December’s shift in the war. However, there is no report about when the rest of the people detained under the state of emergency would be released.
The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting reported that the state of emergency investigation board is instructed to finish any outstanding works within a month. Reportedly, an advisory committee within the Ethiopian parliament said that the lifting of the state of emergency will help revive Ethiopia’s economic situation.
Fana Broadcasting also reported that some members of the advisory committee raised concerns on the lifting of the state of emergency because of the threats posed by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army. They have been fighting the federal army and its allies in Ethiopia.
Reportedly, the security threats in the Amhara, Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella, and the Oromia regions will be dealt with the updated corrective measures.
The war in Ethiopia erupted in November 2020. Reportedly, it caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the displacement of millions.
