Officials in Ethiopia lift state of emergency

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Ethiopian lawmakers decided Tuesday to lift the state of emergency as mediation attempts to settle a deadly war in the north continue.

The vote came after Ethiopia's Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, agreed on January 26 to lift the six-month-long state of emergency, citing recent improvements in the war.

The emergency was declared in early November as Tigray regional troops battling Ethiopian and coalition forces advanced closer to Addis Ababa, the capital. Tigray forces returned in late December, despite mediation efforts and pressure from the government's drone-supported military operation.

According to witnesses, attorneys, and human rights organizations, thousands of people, mostly ethnic Tigrayans, have been jailed as a result of the state of emergency. Following the war's turn in December, many were liberated.

An advisory group within Ethiopia's parliament argued ahead of Tuesday's vote that abolishing the state of emergency would help improve the country's economic and diplomatic condition.

Tagesse Chafo, the Speaker of Parliament, stated that the committee believes the country's security challenges can now be dealt with by conventional law enforcement.

According to Fana Broadcasting, some members of the advisory group voiced alarm about the risks presented by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army, both of which have been battling the federal army and its supporters.

The parliament speaker stated that a new "corrective measure" was being implemented to address security risks in the Amhara, Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, and Gambella areas, as well as the Wellega area in Oromia.