Covid-19: Ethiopia declares state of emergency to stem spread

Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency after recording the highest numbers of cases of the deadly coronavirus in a single day.

The country recorded eight cases on Tuesday and three on Wednesday, when the state of emergency was issued.

Ethiopia, which reported it first case on March 13, now has 55 patients and has recorded two deaths and four recoveries.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared the state of emergency to stop the spread of Covid-19 disease in the east African country. The declaration came after the ministerial council approved it.

“Considering the gravity of the Covbid-19, the government of Ethiopia has enacted a state of Emergency,” the Prime Minister’s office said in the official communication.

The PM did not reveal details of the state emergency but it is expected that they will announced in the days ahead.

FIRST DECLARATION

This is the first state of emergency announced under Abiy, who came to power in 2018 and won last year's Nobel Peace Prize in part for expanding political freedoms in the authoritarian nation.

"Because the coronavirus pandemic is getting worse, the Ethiopian government has decided to declare a state of emergency under Article 93 of the constitution," he said in a statement.

"I call upon everybody to stand in line with government bodies and others that are trying to overcome this problem," he added, warning of "grave legal measures" against anyone who undermines the fight against the pandemic.

Since reporting its first Covid-19 case, Ethiopia has closed land borders and schools, freed thousands of prisoners to ease overcrowding, sprayed main streets in the capital with disinfectant, and discouraged large gatherings.

Abiy said Ethiopia has been preparing in the past weeks to take stringent measures considering the crises the pandemic will impose on social, economical and political aspects.

NO LOCKDOWN

There are growing fears from the public that the virus might be spreading in the community.

The PM said further measures could be taken to slow the spread of the virus but the government has so far refrained from imposing a lockdown similar to those in effect elsewhere in the region, including in Rwanda, Uganda and Mauritius.

Despite growing calls including from opposition parties for the government to impose a lockdown in the capital, home to an estimated seven million inhabitants, Abiy’s administration has repeatedly vowed that it won’t take such a measure.

“We can’t impose a lockdown like more developed nations, as there are many citizens who don’t have homes,” Abiy said on Saturday. “Even those who have homes have to make ends meet daily.”

Last week, Addis Ababa's Deputy Mayor, Takele Uma, said “imposing a lockdown in Addis Ababa is unthinkable.”

SECURITY OPERATIONS

According to the country's constitution, under a state of emergency the Council of Ministers has "all necessary power to protect the country's peace and sovereignty" and can suspend some "political and democratic rights".

The constitution also says lawmakers need to approve a state of emergency, which can last for six months and be extended every four months after that.

Wednesday's decree is likely to "beef up security operations with a greater role for the federal government, including the military," said William Davison, Ethiopia analyst for the International Crisis Group, a conflict-prevention organisation.

"While this approach is understandable given the situation, it is critical that there is transparency over the government's extra powers and that there is adequate monitoring of implementation," Davison said.

OPPOSITION'S REACTION

Jawar Mohammed, a leading opposition politician, said Wednesday that the stance on a lockdown called into question why a state of emergency was necessary.

"Officials have been saying the country is too poor to stop population movement. So why do you need a state of emergency if you are not planning to impose stricter rules?" Jawar told AFP.

During consultations with Abiy earlier this week, the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) voiced worries that a state of emergency would lead to human rights abuses -- a well-documented problem under previous states of emergency imposed during several years of anti-government protests that swept Abiy to power.

"We explained our concern that the state of emergency has been initiated several times and it has been abused to violate the rights of citizens and other political activists," OLF chairman Dawud Ibsa told AFP.

It's also unclear how the state of emergency might affect planning for hotly-anticipated general elections in Ethiopia.

ELECTIONS

The country's electoral board announced last week that voting planned for August would need to be postponed because of the pandemic.

It did not provide a timeline for when the elections would ultimately be held, and lawmakers' constitutional mandates expire in October.

Davison, with the International Crisis Group, said the state of emergency could be used "to formally postpone elections" past that deadline, though such a move risks sparking opposition backlash.

"It is therefore essential that the government works with opposition parties on managing this constitutionally sensitive period and making new electoral arrangements," Davison said.

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