The Ethiopian cabinet on Tuesday declared a nationwide state of emergency as Tigrayan forces claimed they were gaining territory and considering marching south to the capital Addis Ababa. Government authorities urged citizens to defend themselves and their neighbourhoods against a possible attack by the rebels.
Ethiopia’s Fana news agency reported that the emergency was meant “to protect civilians from atrocities being committed by the terrorist TPLF [Tigray People’s Liberation Front] group in several parts of the country.” Furthermore, it noted that lawmakers are expected to approve the measures within the next 24 hours.
Prime Minister (PM) Abiy Ahmed said on Wednesday that the “state of emergency was declared to shorten the period of tribulation and to provide a time of solution.” Adding that this was a time of “trial and error,” Abiy said, “Everyone will be tested until the test is over. We must all adapt our lives to the time of trial until our problems are resolved quickly.”
In this respect, the PM called on all citizens to “uphold the provisions of the proclamation” and “cooperate with law enforcement agencies.” He also urged them to help authorities “carry out their duties efficiently” and provide “necessary assistance.”
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Officials in Addis Ababa told residents on Tuesday to register arms and prepare to defend their neighbourhoods against a potential TPLF attack. “All residents must be organised by blocks and neighbourhoods to protect peace and security in their home area in coordination with security forces,” Kenea Yadeta, chief of the city’s Peace and Security Administration Bureau said. Yadeta added that “there will be recruitment and organising of the city’s youth to work in coordination with security forces.”
Additionally, his office outlined several measures for the capital’s residents, including the compulsory registering of all firearms within two days, organising all blocks and neighbourhoods, and ceasing the publication of “fake information” on social media.
Last week, the TPLF captured the strategic towns of Dessie and Kombolcha in the Amhara region and indicated that they might advance further south, towards Addis Ababa. Saying that the “siege on Tigray” must be broken, TPLF Spokesperson Getachew Reda said, “If marching to Addis is what it takes to break the siege, we will.”
“If the government falls, we will definitely have an interim arrangement,” Reda said on Tuesday, adding that if such an event occurs, the TPLF would hold a national dialogue. However, he mentioned that PM Abiy and his ministers would not be asked to take part. Instead, “they will have their day in court,” he declared.
The one-year-old war between Abiy’s government and the TPLF further worsened last month when the Ethiopian military launched a series of airstrikes against the rebels in Tigray. The most recent airstrike, which was conducted a week ago, killed at least 10 people.
Ethiopia has been in the middle of a severe humanitarian and political crisis since November last year, when PM Abiy ordered a military response to an attack on a federal army camp in Tigray by the TPLF, declared a “terrorist” organisation. The fighting quickly boiled over into a full-scale armed invasion by Ethiopian troops, who partnered with Eritrean soldiers in their operation.
The conflict in Tigray has killed thousands and displaced over two million and has witnessed grave human rights violations, including mass killings, rapes, and deliberate starvation. Both the Ethiopian government and the TPLF have accused each other of committing atrocities.