Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday said the council of ministers has decided to lift a state of emergency in the Horn of Africa nation amid improving security conditions, reported Reuters.
“Now we have reached a stage where threats can be neutralized through regular law enforcement mechanisms,” the statement from the prime minister’s office said.
The proposal has now been sent to the parliament for approval.
The Ethiopian government had declared a state of emergency in November last year after the Tigrayan forces claimed they had gained territory and were considering marching on the capital Addis Ababa.
Notably, under the state of emergency’s sweeping powers, the security forces had detained thousands of ethnic Tigrayans. Some of them were released after the shift in the war late last month.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in a statement urged lawmakers to quickly approve the proposal to end the state of emergency, saying the proposal calls for the release of those still detained in connection with the war.
Last month, the Ethiopian government said the military has regained control of the northern Amhara and Afar regions from the Tigrayan forces, dismissing Tigrayan statements that their forces were voluntarily pulling out to initiate the peace process.
Over the weekend, the military said it was planning to enter the Tigray regional capital of Mekelle and “eliminate” the rebellious forces. The conflict, which broke out between Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, in November 2020, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions, and triggered widespread hunger.
In related news, Mesfin Tegenu, chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee, on Tuesday said Ethiopia’s prime minister has ensured that there will be negotiations on a cease-fire between his government and the rival Tigray forces. He said Abiy has told him that there will be reasonable negotiations that will keep the interest of the integrity of the nation first.
