ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s defense minister on Saturday ruled out a military takeover a day after the East African nation declared a new state of emergency amid the worst anti-government protests in a quarter-century. The state of emergency will be presented for lawmakers’ approval within 15 days, Siraj said. Ethiopia’s cabinet on Friday cited deaths, ethnic attacks and mass displacement as reasons for the latest state of emergency. That state of emergency led to the arrest of more than 22,000 people and severely affected business. The new state of emergency will create a group of people with conflicting interests, Befekadu said.

Source: Ethiopian News February 17, 2018 16:30 UTC