The Ethiopian government on Tuesday declared a state of emergency across the country, which is seeing renewed fighting after Tigrayan rebels over the weekend claimed responsibility for the capture of two strategic northern towns.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (FLPT) announced on Saturday the capture of Dessie and, on Sunday, that of Kombolcha, two towns in the Amhara region, neighboring Tigray, located at a road junction 400 kilometers to the north. from Addis Ababa. They did not rule out marching on the capital.
The government denied having lost control of these towns, but if it were confirmed, their capture by the rebels would mark a new major stage in the conflict that has pitted them against pro-government troops for a year.
Communications are cut off in much of northern Ethiopia, and journalists’ access is restricted, making it difficult to independently verify positions on the ground.
Despite its denials of the rebel advance, the government declared a state of emergency throughout the country.
The measure “aims to protect civilians against atrocities committed by the terrorist group FLPT in several parts of the country,” state media Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.
The restrictions being considered include a curfew, the closure of roads and the search of “anyone suspected of collaborating with terrorist groups,” said Fana BC.
The state of emergency also allows the authorities to enlist “any citizen of fighting age and possessing a weapon” or to suspend any media suspected of providing “direct or indirect moral support” to the FLPT, the media added.
Lawmakers must approve this measure within 24 hours.
Capital mobilized
Earlier today, authorities in Addis Ababa called on the capital’s five million residents to register their guns within two days and prepare to defend the city.
“All residents must organize themselves by city blocks and neighborhoods to protect peace and security in their area, in coordination with the security forces,” said the head of the department of peace and security in the capital. , Kenea Yadeta.
Mr Kenea asserted that young people would be “recruited” and “organized” for this purpose, and that “all sectors of society” should be extra vigilant, including owners of houses and hotels who are supposed to verify their identities. their tenants and visitors.
Begun in November 2020, the conflict in Tigray has seen a dramatic turnaround in recent months.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, proclaimed victory on November 28, after sending the army to the region to remove dissident local authorities from the FLPT, whom he accused of attacking bases federal military.
But in June, pro-FLPT fighters recaptured most of the region, forcing government troops to largely withdraw. They then continued their offensive in the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar.
In a speech Monday, Abiy Ahmed said foreigners were fighting alongside the FLPT, without providing further details.
American opposition
The recent upsurge in fighting worries the international community, which in recent days has renewed its calls for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks.
On Tuesday evening, the US Embassy issued a message advising its nationals not to travel to Ethiopia and “those currently in Ethiopia to prepare to leave the country.”
The American envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, had said earlier that Washington opposed “any movement of the FLPT towards Addis or any action aimed at besieging Addis”.
The United States also announced that it was depriving Ethiopia of important trade benefits granted under AGOA (African Development and Opportunities Act), due to human rights violations in the conflict. .
Ethiopia has said it is extremely disappointed by this decision which it wishes to see “canceled”.