Ethiopia declared a nationwide state of emergency on Tuesday and ordered residents of the capital Addis Ababa to prepare to defend their neighborhoods amid fears that Tigrayan rebels were heading there.
The measures came after several days of reported advances by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group, which is locked in a brutal year-long war against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
“The state of emergency is aimed to protect civilians from atrocities being committed by the terrorist TPLF group in several parts of the country,” state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.
Lawmakers were expected to approve the measure within 24 hours, Fana said, though the specific terms were not immediately available.
Earlier on Tuesday officials in Addis Ababa announced new measures for the city’s five million residents, requiring that all firearms be registered within two days.
“All residents must be organized by blocks and neighborhoods to protect peace and security in their home area in coordination with security forces, who will coordinate activities with community police and law enforcers,” said Kenea Yadeta, chief of the city’s Peace and Security Administration Bureau.
He also said that young residents would be recruited to work with law enforcement, and that “all sections of society” must cooperate with efforts to increase vigilance, including landlords and hotel owners checking IDs of tenants and guests.
Rebel gains
Abiy sent troops into Tigray a year ago to detain and disarm the TPLF, a move he said came in response to the group’s attacks on army camps.
The 2019 Nobel Peace laureate promised a swift victory, but by late June the rebels had regrouped and retaken most of Tigray.
They then launched offensives into the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara.
In recent days the TPLF has claimed control of two key cities in Amhara, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Addis Ababa.
TPLF leaders have not ruled out marching on the capital, which has so far not seen any fighting.
The government has denied claims of TPLF territorial gains which, if confirmed, would represent a major strategic advance.
Much of northern Ethiopia is under a communications blackout, and access for journalists is restricted, making battlefield claims difficult to verify independently.
A separate rebel group, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), has also boasted of recent advances in Amhara and in the Oromia region surrounding Addis Ababa.
US response
The international community has expressed alarm at the expanding conflict, with Western powers reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire and for the African Union to broker peace talks between the warring parties.
The fighting has already killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions, according to the UN.
Jeffrey Feltman, US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, said on Tuesday that Washington opposed “any TPLF move to Addis or any TPLF move to besiege Addis”, and that officials had conveyed that message to the rebels.
Separately US President Joe Biden said his government would remove Ethiopia from a vital trade pact due to human rights concerns related to the war.
Ethiopia, which in recent weeks had lobbied to stay in the program, known as the African Growth and Opportunity Act, said it was “extremely disappointed” by Biden’s decision and called for its reversal.
