State media reported on Tuesday. The rebel group TPLF had captured two strategically important cities in the past few days in the conflict with the army and aroused fears of a march on the capital Addis Ababa.
State of emergency is intended to protect the population from TPLF
The capital’s authorities have already called on the population to register any weapons they may have and to prepare to defend their neighborhoods if necessary. At the weekend, the TPLF reported the capture of the two strategically important cities of Kombolcha and Dessie in the province of Amhara, which the Ethiopian government denied.
“The state of emergency is intended to protect civilians from the atrocities committed by the terrorist organization TPLF,” reported the state media. The Ethiopian government accused the TPLF on Monday of literally executing hundreds of young residents in Kombolcha.
Catastrophic supply situation in the Tigray region
The conflict between Abiy’s government and the TPLF has been going on for almost a year. Ethiopian government forces attacked the TPLF, which ruled Tigray, in November 2020, in response to TPLF attacks on army positions, according to government reports. The sometimes fierce fighting has now spread to neighboring regions such as Amhara.
Almost two million people have been displaced by the fighting so far. There have been repeated reports of atrocities, including massacres and mass rape. The Tigray region is largely cut off from the rest of the world. The supply situation is considered catastrophic, according to UN data, 400,000 people in Tigray alone are suffering from hunger.