February 17, 2022
Ethiopian Lawmakers Approve Lifting State of Emergency
Lawmakers have voted for an early end to the state of emergency declared in November 2021 as Tigray forces moved toward the capital city Addis Ababa.
Initially, Ethiopia declared the state of emergency for six months.
However, parliament voted on February 15, 2022 to end it after three months, with lawmakers saying the security situation in the country has improved, and that the state of emergency rule had diminished the image of the country internationally.
Some members of parliament opposed the decision. They argued that forces of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) are still fighting the army in the Afar region, and are allegedly preparing to launch another attack against the Amhara region.
However, the TPLF says its forces retreated to pave the way for peace negotiations, while the Ethiopian government says they were pushed back by force, reports Gelmo Dawit for Voice of America.
Drone attacks continue in the Tigray region despite Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the federal government laying the groundwork for what they call, a national dialogue.
The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and pushed hundreds of thousands into famine. Rights groups have also accused fighters on all sides of widespread sexual violence.
