Ethiopia imposes state of emergency in Tigray

Tigray.

Members of Tigray police at a checkpoint in the outskirts of Mekele. PHOTO | EDUARDO SOTERAS | AFP

The Ethiopian government on Wednesday declared a state of emergency on northern Tigray region for six months for "threatening the sovereignty of the country".

On Tuesday night, the government had ordered troops to launch attacks on forces of the regional administration in Tigray, raising the ante in a conflict between Addis Ababa and the autonomous part of the country.