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Ethiopia declares state of emergency to protect civilians from Tigray rebels

Decision to be approved by parliament’s lower house within next 24 hours

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The Ethiopian cabinet has declared a state of emergency across the country as part of measures to protect the civilian population from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), national media reported on Tuesday.

The decision is to be approved by the parliament’s lower house within the next 24 hours, the Fana broadcaster reported.

The emergency comes after the government said on Monday that TPLF rebels killed more than 100 young people living in the northern city of Kombolcha, captured by the insurgents over the past weekend.

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The north of the African country has been engulfed in hostilities between government forces and the TPLF for almost a year. In November 2020, the authorities accused the TPLF of attacking a military base and launched a counter-operation supported by neighbouring Eritrea.

In spring 2021, Ethiopia announced the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from the Tigray region. In June, the rebels seized the administrative centre of Tigray, Mekelle, prompting the government to declare a ceasefire. However, the insurgents later claimed to have gone on the offensive and established control of a large part of the south of Tigray.

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