Ethiopia’s parliament approved a nationwide state of emergency on Friday despite unusual opposition from some lawmakers, in the latest sign of fractures within the all-powerful ruling coalition. The six-month decree, which required approval from two-thirds of lawmakers, has been condemned by several of Ethiopia’s allies including the United States and the European Union. But 88 MPs voted against the measure and seven voted to abstain, a shift from the last emergency decree nearly two years ago, which parliament approved unanimously, according to the state-run Ethiopian News Agency. “Under the last state of emergency, we documented a series of grave human rights violations,” the rights group’s secretary general Salil Shetty said in a statement. The latest state of emergency was declared in the wake of Hailemariam’s surprise resignation.

Source: Ethiopian News March 03, 2018 20:48 UTC