The Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency in the country’s northwestern Amhara region following armed clashes between the military and militias.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office declared the state of emergency earlier in the day after determining that the existing legal system could no longer contain the violence, AP and Reuters reported.
This will allow the government to make warrantless arrests and enforce nighttime curfews.
However, it is unclear whether the state of emergency applies to Amhara state or the entire country, Reuters reported.
Amhara state’s Fano militia supported government forces in the two-year civil war between government forces and Tigray rebels that began in November 2020.
But after the civil war ended in November last year, they rebelled against Prime Minister Abiy’s order in April to integrate local militias into the military or police.
Clashes erupted earlier this week when the Fano militia attacked government forces, 카지노사이트넷 local residents said.
Flights to Amhara state’s popular tourist destinations of Lalibela and Gondar have been disrupted in response, AP added.