A state of emergency imposed in Ethiopia a day after the prime minister resigned will last for six months, the defence minister says, as authorities sought to tamp down unrest in Africa's second most populous nation. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced his surprise resignation in a televised speech on Thursday, the first time in modern Ethiopian history that a sitting prime minister had quit. A day later, the government imposed the state of emergency. The United States, a major aid donor, said it "strongly disagreed" with the decision to call for emergency rule. "The declaration of a state of emergency undermines recent positive steps toward creating a more inclusive political space, including the release of thousands of prisoners," it added.

Source: Ethiopian News February 17, 2018 20:37 UTC