This was announced on Saturday by the Minister of Defence who invoked the risk of new “clashes on ethnic lines” and the need to protect constitutional order.
But in the streets of Addis Ababa this decision has not been widely accepted.
“I do not believe that a state of emergency will bring peace and stability to the country. Peace and stability should flow from negotiations between the people and government,” opined Andualem Melese, a resident of Addis Ababa.
Kebede Wondu also a resident of Addis Ababa thinks young people simply want democracy and leadership.
“Who will meet their expectations? In my opinion, declaring a state of emergency is not the answer,” he says.
“In order to solve the actual problems, the executive council has decreed a state of emergency and it will soon be approved by the House of Representatives of the People. We still don’t know what the state of emergency has in store for us, but we’ll see what happens next,” says Mulushewa Kebede.
Ethiopia is in the midst of a political crisis marked by anti-government protests that have been unprecedented for a quarter of a century. The repression of these demonstrations has resulted in at least 940 deaths, according to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, which is linked to the government.
U.S. ‘strongly disagrees’ with Ethiopia state of emergency
The United States embassy in Ethiopia said on Saturday it disagreed with the government’s decision to impose a state of emergency to calm political unrest the day after the prime minister’s surprise resignation.
The statement came after the council of ministers imposed yet another six months nationwide state of emergency last night, which defence minister Siraj Fegessa, said would include a ban on protests and publications that incite violence.
‘‘We strongly disagree with the Ethiopian government’s decision to impose a state of emergency that includes restrictions on fundamental rights such as assembly and expression,’‘ the statement said.
The prime minister’s resignation followed a wave of strikes and demonstrations successfully demanding the release of more opposition leaders.
‘‘We recognise and share concerns expressed by the government about incidents of violence and loss of life, but firmly believe that the answer is greater freedom, not less,’‘ it said.
Under a previous state of emergency, declared in October 2016 and lasting 10 months, thousands of Ethiopians were arrested by the military.
The current state of emergency has to be approved by the national parliament, which is currently on recess, giving the council 15 days to enforce the emergency rule until parliament reconvenes.
The statement urged the government in Ethiopia “to rethink this approach and identify other means to protect lives and property while preserving, and indeed expanding, the space for meaningful dialogue and political participation that can pave the way to a lasting democracy.”
Relative calm had only returned with the establishment of a state of emergency between October 2016 and August 2017 and thousands of arrests. – AfricaNews