Ethiopian lawmakers have voted to end the country’s three-month state of emergency early as mediation efforts continue to end the deadly war in the north. Tuesday’s vote by lawmakers came after Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, decided on January 26 to end the state of emergency originally imposed for six months, citing recent developments in the conflict. The state of emergency was imposed in early November as Tigray forces fighting Ethiopian and allied forces moved closer to the capital, Addis Ababa.
Thousands of mainly ethnic Tigrayans were detained under the state of emergency, according to witnesses, lawyers, and human rights groups. Many were released after December’s shift in the war, but there was no immediate word Tuesday on when the rest of the people detained under the order would be released. Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, an advisory committee within the Ethiopian parliament said the lifting of the state of emergency will help revive the country’s economic and diplomatic situation. Fana Broadcasting reported that some members of the advisory committee, however, raised concerns regarding threats posed by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army that have been fighting the federal army and its allies.
Read more here.
