State of emergency declared in Ethiopia

Conflict broke out in the north of Ethiopia in the last two days after Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, ordered the military to confront the Tigray regional government. The move comes after the Tigray regional government was accused of attacking a military base. The government announced a six-month state of emergency on Wednesday. The clashes come at the end of tensions which escalated last month when the Ethiopian Senate voted to sever all relations with the Tigray region. 

The city Mekele, capital of the Tigray region seemed calm but skirmishes occurred in other areas. It remains unclear who attacked first, says the Associated Press. The PM's office did not provide details on the clashes. 

Global observers called for de-escalation and warned from a spillover to nearby Sudan and Somalia. The rich-Tigray region is led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) who dominated Ethiopia’s military and governing coalition before Abiy took office in 2018 and announced reforms that won him the Nobel Peace Prize last year. The reforms, however, fueled other grievances and the TPLF left the coalition last year. 

William Davison, International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Ethiopia, says the conflict could dangerous given Tigray relevant security position. Abiy's move in Tigray is widely viewed as payback for the TPLF holding elections in Tigray that were cancelled in the rest of Ethiopia due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the root of the mutual animosity has always been ethnic and political.  

As of Thursday morning, shelling continued in the Northern regions of Ethiopia while international pressures are yet to be effective. 

 

 

 

Photo: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
Source: Commonspace.eu with AP and other agencies. 

 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Armenia aims to become tech hub of South Caucasus with new AI data factory

Armenia aims to become tech hub of South Caucasus with new AI data factory

Armenia is set to host its own artificial intelligence data factory, with the project valued at $500 million and scheduled to begin operations in 2026. This investment initiative is being jointly implemented by Firebird, the Armenian government, and NVIDIA, JAMnews has reported. “FirebirdCloudAI is Armenia’s largest and most important tech investment the country’s ‘Stargate’. The idea was born when Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, visited Yerevan in 2023. Today, it’s becoming reality. The AI factory, equipped with thousands of Blackwell GPUs, will spark innovation across Armenia,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on X.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Armenia aims to become tech hub of South Caucasus with new AI data factory

Armenia aims to become tech hub of South Caucasus with new AI data factory

Armenia is set to host its own artificial intelligence data factory, with the project valued at $500 million and scheduled to begin operations in 2026. This investment initiative is being jointly implemented by Firebird, the Armenian government, and NVIDIA, JAMnews has reported. “FirebirdCloudAI is Armenia’s largest and most important tech investment the country’s ‘Stargate’. The idea was born when Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, visited Yerevan in 2023. Today, it’s becoming reality. The AI factory, equipped with thousands of Blackwell GPUs, will spark innovation across Armenia,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on X.