Ethiopia’s government has declared a nationwide state of emergency as war intensifies in several regions in the country.
The government had earlier urged people in the capital Addis Ababa to arm themselves, as rebels from the northern Tigray region advance to the south.
A local news site, Addis Standard, reports that the justice minister is giving a media briefing about the state of emergency announcement:
State media in Ethiopia say the authorities in Addis Ababa are urging residents to register their private weapons within the next two days.
This follows comments by a rebel alliance that it was considering marching on to the Ethiopian capital.
The Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, the TPLF – which has been fighting government forces for the past year – has now linked up with fighters from an Oromo force – giving the rebels a major boost in their ability to threaten Addis Ababa.
A TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda told the BBC the alliance had already joined up north of the capital.
Rebel advances have sparked a national call to arms by Ethiopia’s prime minister and there’s a state of emergency in the Amhara and Oromia region.
Below is Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s statement
BBC Africa News