A nationwide state of emergency was clamped in Ethiopia to prepare and defend the neighbourhoods
- There are fears that Tigrayan rebels were heading for the capital. Reports coming from the East African country indicate that the emergency is a measure that came after several days of reported advances by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group
- They vow to capture the capital Addis Ababa. The TPLF is engaged in a year-long war against the Ethiopian Federal Government
A nationwide state of emergency was clamped in Ethiopia to prepare and defend the neighbourhoods. There are fears that Tigrayan rebels were heading for the capital. Reports coming from the East African country indicate that the emergency is a measure that came after several days of reported advances by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group. They vow to capture the capital Addis Ababa. The TPLF is engaged in a year-long war against the Ethiopian Federal Government.
The Fana BroadCasting Corporation, an Ethiopian state affiliated body, said that the state of emergency was aimed to protect civilians from atrocities being committed by the terrorist TPLF group in several parts of the country. There are reports that some insurgents have entered the capital city. Fana appealed to people to cooperate with the government to contain the atrocities of the rebels.
Restrictions imposed by the federal government include a curfew, road closures and searches of “anyone suspected of collaborating with terror groups. An Oromo group member allied with Tigrayan fighters told a wire agency that Addis Ababa could be overrun by rebels within “months if not weeks”. The rebels, according to sources, are now advancing southwards with the objective of toplining the Federal Government.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres recently urged both sides to step back from the brink to ease the situation. He also called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The UN also called for unrestricted humanitarian access to deliver urgent life-saving assistance, and an inclusive national dialogue to resolve the crisis and create the foundation for peace and stability throughout the country. Western countries also called for immediate ceasefire and for the African Union to broker peace talks. The US Embassy issued an advisory to its citizens to restrict travel to Ethiopia. The EU also expressed concerns about the developments and called on both sides to maintain restraint and eschew violence. US President Joe Biden said he would remove Ethiopia from a vital trade pact due to human rights concerns related to the war.
Ethiopia, has been lobbying to stay in the programme, known as the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Upon hearing the statement of the US President, Ethiopia said it was “extremely disappointed” by Biden’s decision and called for its reversal. In the meantime, Jeffrey Feltman, US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, said that Washington opposed any TPLF move to Addis or any TPLF move to besiege Addis.
