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The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn declared a six-month state of emergency, today, Sunday, October 8, saying it was to restore order after several weeks of protests in which many people have died and damage has been done to mostly foreign-owned factories and flower farms.
"A state of emergency has been declared because the situation posed a threat against the people of the country," Hailemariam said on a state-run television station.
"The state of emergency is vital. It is essential to restore peace and stability over a short period of time," he said, adding the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition was also looking at reforms, and planning to hold talks with opposition parties.
Last Sunday alone, no fewer than 55 people were killed in a stampede in Ethiopia's Oromiya region that was triggered when police used teargas and shot in the air to scatter anti-government protesters at a religious festival.
That has added the toll to more than 450 the number of people rights groups and opponents say have been killed in unrest since 2015 though the government of the day says the toll cited by critics is inflated.
A U.S. researcher was killed on Tuesday when her car was attacked by stone-throwers near Addis Ababa.
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