Ethiopia imposes six-month emergency rule after prime minister’s surprise resignation
Ethiopia has faced more than two years of unrest
Ethiopia said that a state of emergency would remain in place for six months, as the authorities banned protests to quell what they termed “chaos and unruliness” despite condemnation from key ally the United States.
The council of ministers declared the country’s second emergency decree in two years on Friday evening, capping a tumultuous week that saw Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s surprise resignation, a strike in the country’s largest region and a massive prisoner amnesty.
The US embassy in Addis Ababa on Saturday said it “strongly” disagrees with “restrictions on fundamental rights such as assembly and expression”.
Saying the declaration “undermines recent positive steps toward creating a more inclusive political space,” the embassy called on the government “to rethink this approach.”
The capital was calm this weekend, with businesses open and no extra security forces deployed on the streets.
Defence Minister Siraj Fegessa said: “the state of emergency will last for six months, and it must be presented to House of People’s Representatives and approved within 15 days.”