On Tuesday, Ethiopia declared a nationwide state of emergency following an extraordinary meeting of the council of ministers amid escalating clashes in the Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions.
Ethiopian forces are in conflict with the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the former of which, over the last couple of weeks, made gains by capturing new territories and strategic towns deep in the Amhara and Afar regions.
Eyewitnesses that escaped from war zones to safe areas have told that intense fighting continued to rage.
The development comes 364 days after TPLF forces attacked Ethiopian army bases stationed across the northern Tigray region, triggering the armed conflict in the area.
A unilateral ceasefire was declared by the Ethiopian government on June 29, after which Addis Ababa pulled out its troops from Tigray, leaving rebel forces with room to expand into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions.
Due to the conflict, over 2 million people have been internally displaced, according to the UN.
While authorities have issued a notice calling on people to get the firearms that they possess registered, the country’s parliament is expected to endorse the state of emergency measures within 48 hours.
