The Ethiopian authorities declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after rebel forces from the northern Tigray region said they had gained ground in the south at the beginning of this week and threatened to advance to the capital.
The announcement came two days after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged citizens to take up arms to defend themselves against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
The authorities in Addis Ababa asked residents to register weapons and prepare defenses, in anticipation of the advance of the Tigray forces.
The conflict erupted on the night of November 3, 2020, when forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, including some soldiers, seized military bases in the northern Tigray region.
In response, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent more troops to the area.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front has dominated political life in Ethiopia for nearly three decades, but lost much of its influence when Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018 after years of anti-government protests.
Relations with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front worsened after the group accused Abiy of ruling the country centrally at the expense of the Ethiopian states, which the prime minister denies.
Washington calls for a halt to military operations
The United States expressed its deep concern about the escalation of violence and the expansion of hostilities in Ethiopia, while announcing, through its embassy in Addis Ababa, that it had decided to evacuate non-essential employees and their families due to the escalation of the conflict.
And the US embassy in Addis Ababa said, on Thursday, that it had decided to evacuate non-essential employees and their families due to the escalation of the conflict in Ethiopia.
The United States had earlier warned its citizens against traveling to Ethiopia, and called on its citizens to prepare to leave in light of the deteriorating security situation.
The announcement by the US embassy in Ethiopia came after Washington renewed its call for all parties involved in the conflict to stop military operations and start a dialogue for a ceasefire, according to the US State Department.
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