The Ethiopian Parliament voted on Tuesday to end a six-month state of emergency that was declared last November, reported Arab News.
The parliament’s decision followed cabinet proposals last month about lifting the emergency measures in light of improving security conditions in the country. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s cabinet had proposed to ease the state of emergency which was initially supposed to last until May.
In November 2020, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy sent troops into Tigray in response to alleged attacks on army camps by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The conflict is believed to have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the displacement of millions.
The state of emergency was imposed in November when rebel Tigrayan forces were threatening to march on the capital, Addis Ababa. They, however, decided to pull back into the Tigray region in late December amid mediation efforts and under pressure from a drone-supported military offensive carried out by the Ethiopian government.
During the six-month-long state of emergency, the Ethiopian security forces detained thousands of mainly ethnic Tigrayans in Addis Ababa and elsewhere, sparking condemnation from rights groups including Amnesty International. It also allowed for roadblocks to be established, curfews to be imposed, transport services to be disrupted, and for the military to take over in certain areas.
Many were released after December’s shift in the war. It currently remains unclear when the rest of the people detained under the state of emergency would be released.
The US State Department welcomed the move calling it an “important step”. It also called for the immediate release of all those arrested or detained without charge under the state of emergency.
In related news, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said it has now been allowed to deliver medical supplies to Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region, for the first time since July 2021.
