Ethiopia has declared a six-month state of emergency as Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel forces advance towards Addis Ababa.

The state of emergency has been declared as a security measure to protect the capital after TPLF forces captured two major towns near the main road leading to Addis Ababa.

The rebels have taken control of the towns of Tenta and Ajebar in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region. TPLF has also taken control of the Afari town of Kasa Gita. 

This has brought fears that the forces might advance into the country’s capital and seize it.

Ethiopian authorities had earlier in the day asked citizens to come out and register their firearms in readiness to defend their neighbourhood.

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TPLF says they are indeed considering moving into the country’s capital.

The civil unrest in Tigray was sparked on November 3, 2020, when TPLF attacked a federal military base in Tigray and tried to steal weapons.

That prompted the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to order an offensive into Tigray.