Ethiopian lawmakers voted to end a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday. The decision comes as mediation efforts continue to intensify to end the deadly war in the north.
The vote by lawmakers came after Ethiopia's Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, decided on Jan. 26 to end the state of emergency considering the latest developments in the conflict. The state of emergency was initially imposed for six months.
An advisory committee in Ethiopia's parliament says the lifting of the state of emergency will help revive the country's economic and diplomatic situation. Parliament speaker Tagese Chafo said the committee believed the country's security threats could now be addressed with the usual law enforcement mechanisms.
A state of emergency was imposed in early November as Tigray forces battling Ethiopian and allied forces moved closer to the capital, Addis Ababa. They retreated back to the Tigray region in late December amid mediation efforts and under pressure from a military offensive.
According to eyewitnesses, lawyers and human rights groups, thousands of ethnic Tigrayans are being held under a state of emergency. Many were released, although many remained detained, including journalists.
"The emergency investigation board was instructed to complete the outstanding work within a month and report back to the relevant body. Judicial bodies are also instructed to resolve cases related to emergency law in the usual judicial process," the Ethiopia government-affiliated Fana Broadcasting report said.
Fana Broadcasting reported that several members of the advisory committee voiced concerns about the threat posed by the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army that has been fighting the federal army and its allies. Chafo said security threats in the Amhara, Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella and Wellega regions of the Oromia region would be dealt with with new corrective measures 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 displaced millions. Although the war has subsided in some places, especially in the Tigray and Amhara regions, concerns remain in the northeastern region of Afar.