Ethiopian government declares a state of emergency as Tigray achieve progress
Ethiopia’s federal government announced a state of emergency on Tuesday as Tigray rebels advanced near Addis Ababa, the country’s capital.
During a news conference, Justice Minister Gideon Timoteos stated that the federal government had decided to declare a state of emergency at the national level, as the “Tigrai People’s Liberation Front” soldiers advanced into Addis Ababa in the south.
The government had earlier on Tuesday urged inhabitants of the capital to equip themselves in the face of the rebels’ assault, and officials in Addis Ababa had requested locals to get guns and prepare defenses.
The Ethiopian federal troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which dominates the region, fought for 11 months in northern Ethiopia.
Thousands of people have perished, millions have left their homes, and the fighting has extended to the Amhara, Afar, and Oromo areas nearby.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) stated on Monday that it had joined the rebel forces battling the central government in the Oromo region and that they were prepared to move on to Addis Ababa.
This comes after the Front declared control of the crucial cities of Desi and Kombolcha in the Amhara area, which have been seeing violent clashes so far.