Ethiopia lifts state of emergency over Tigray war

Mediation efforts are under way to end the 15-month conflict in the country's north

Captive Ethiopian soldiers arrive at the Mekele Rehabilitation Centre in Tigray, Ethiopia, after a four-day journey from Abdi Eshir. All photos: AFP

Women welcome Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters as they return to Mekele after seizing control of the city in June 2021.

Ethiopians who fled the Tigray conflict wait to charge their phones at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan.

A member of the Afar Special Forces stands in front of the debris of a house on the outskirts of the village of Bisober in Tigray.

People hold candles and Ethiopian flags at a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict in Addis Ababa.

An Ethiopian refugee who fled fighting in Tigray waits behind a fence in a camp in Sudan.

Refugees living in a camp in Sudan after fleeing violence in Tigray.

A woman walks among the remains of a destroyed factory in Ataye, Ethiopia, where more than 100 civilians died in a recent flare-up of violence.

Two members of the Amhara militia ride in the back of a pick-up truck. Amharas and Tigrayans were uneasy neighbours before the current fighting, with tension over land sparking violent clashes.

Militias from the Amhara region have been involved in the fighting in Tigray.

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gather at a rally organised by the mayor of Addis Ababa to show support for the military's efforts in Tigray.

Zeleke Alabachew, farmer and militia fighter, tends to his land near the village of Tekeldengy, Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation.

People celebrate the liberation of opposition leaders in the city of Alamata, Ethiopia.

A family fleeing violence sit in a former classroom at May Weyni secondary school, now hosting 10,500 displaced people, in Mekele, capital of Tigray.

Ethiopian refugees travel to Sudan to escape violence in Tigray.

Ethiopian refugees gather to celebrate the 46th anniversary of the Tigray People's Liberation Front at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics before being ousted from their regional stronghold last year.

An Ethiopian refugee sets up a tent in a camp in the town of Gedaref, Sudan, after being transported from the border reception centre.

Pro-Tigrayan demonstrators display placards during a protest in front of the chancellery in Berlin.

The aftermath of heavy shelling in Wukro, a city north of Mekele, in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia's parliament voted to end a state of emergency in the country early on Tuesday as negotiations to end 15 months of internal conflict progress.

On January 26, Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, decided to end the state of emergency originally imposed for six months, citing recent developments in the conflict.

The state of emergency was imposed in early November as Tigrayan forces fighting Ethiopian and allied troops moved closer to the capital, Addis Ababa. They withdrew to the Tigray region in late December amid mediation efforts and under pressure from a drone-supported military offensive carried out by the government.

Thousands of mainly ethnic Tigrayans were detained under the state of emergency, according to witnesses, lawyers and human rights groups. Many were released after December’s shift in the war.

There was no immediate word on Tuesday about when the rest of the people detained under the state of emergency would be released.

Addis Ababa announced it would not pursue the rebels into Tigray, but in recent weeks residents and aid workers have reported a string of deadly air strikes in the region.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front last month announced a military operation in the neighbouring Afar region, saying the move was in response to attacks by pro-government forces, dampening hopes of a ceasefire.

Ethiopia's grinding conflict has left thousands dead and forced many others to flee their homes, with hundreds of thousands driven to the brink of starvation, according to the UN.

Tigray itself has for months been subject to what the UN says is a de-facto blockade. The US has accused the Ethiopian government of preventing aid, and it in turn has blamed the rebels for the obstruction.

State-affiliated Fana Broadcasting reported: “The state of emergency investigation board is instructed to finish any outstanding works within a month and report back to the relevant body. Judicial bodies are also instructed to finish emergency law-related cases within the regular judicial process.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, an advisory committee within the Ethiopian parliament said the lifting of the state of emergency would help revive the country’s economic and diplomatic situation. Parliament Speaker Tagesse Chafo said the committee believed the country’s security threats can now be dealt with by regular law-enforcement mechanisms.

Fana Broadcasting reported that some members of the advisory committee, however, raised concerns regarding threats posed by the TPLF and the Oromo Liberation Army, which has been fighting federal troops and their allies.

The parliament speaker said security threats in the Amhara, Afar, Benishangul Gumuz and Gambella regions and the Wellega area in Oromia would be dealt with by a new “corrective measure” that is being put in place.

Ethiopia’s war erupted in November 2020 and is believed to have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the displacement of millions. Although the conflict has subsided in several places, notably within the Tigray and Amhara regions, concerns remain in the north-eastern Afar region.

Aid remains badly limited to millions in Tigray under what the UN has described as a “de facto humanitarian blockade”.

On Monday, the World Health Organisation said it had been granted access to send medical supplies to Tigray for the first time in six months, but added that fuel shortages were hampering distribution.