Crisis in Ethiopia: US urges its citizens to leave the country at war

What is happening in Ethiopia?

What we know about the increase in violence 2:54

(CNN) -

"The security environment in Ethiopia is very fluid. We advise American citizens who are in Ethiopia to leave the country as soon as possible," the US embassy in Ethiopia said in a statement on Friday.

"American citizens wishing to leave Ethiopia currently have multiple options via commercial flights from Bole International Airport. If you are having difficulty getting a flight or need financial assistance returning to the United States, please contact AddisACS@state.gov to receive guidance, "says the statement.

The Embassy also shared contact information for airlines operating from Bole International Airport on its website.

The crisis in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian People's House of Representatives approved a six-month state of emergency on Thursday that was announced earlier this week.

This after forces from the northern region of Tigray said they had gained territory and were marching towards the capital, Addis Ababa.

The state of emergency allows the recruitment of citizens who possess firearms and are of military age, which in Ethiopia is 18.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday urged citizens to take up arms to defend themselves against the Tigray People's Liberation Front, against whom Abiy ordered a military offensive a year ago.

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Meanwhile, the US government said Ethiopia will lose access to a lucrative US trade program due to human rights violations unless it takes steps to end the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in early 2022. .

Ethiopia is in the midst of a civil war that, according to many reports, bears the stamp of genocide and has the potential to destabilize the wider Horn of Africa region.

• Ethiopia is embroiled in a civil war over the Tigray conflict - here's what you need to know

Ethiopian Prime Minister declares state of emergency 2:29

The UN condemned the possible "war crimes" uncovered in an investigation into the year-long war in Tigray, with a report released Wednesday finding that all parties to the conflict committed violations.

There have been repeated calls by the United States and the international community for the parties to the conflict, including the government of PM Abiy and the TPLF, to end hostilities.

In November 2020, Abiy ordered a military offensive in the northern region of Tigray and promised that the conflict would be resolved quickly.

A year later, the fighting has left thousands dead, displaced more than two million people from their homes, fueled famine and sparked a wave of atrocities.

Ethiopia faced significant economic, ethnic and political challenges long before a dispute between Abiy and the region's former ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), escalated into unrest.

But now, with hostilities escalating elsewhere in Ethiopia, fears are growing that the fighting in Tigray could trigger a broader crisis with the potential to disintegrate Africa's second most populous country.

• The UN condemns the atrocities carried out in the Tigray conflict, while Ethiopia announces the state of emergency

Ethiopia used flag carrier to move weapons 4:21

How it all started?

The Tigray conflict is rooted in tensions dating back several generations in Ethiopia's past.

The country is made up of 10 regions - and two cities - that enjoy great autonomy, including the ability to have regional police and militia.

Due to a previous conflict with neighboring Eritrea, there are also a large number of federal troops in Tigray.

Regional governments are largely divided along entrenched ethnic lines.

Before Abiy Ahmed came to power, the TPLF had ruled Ethiopia with an iron fist for decades, overseeing a period of stability and economic growth at the cost of basic civil and political rights.

This authoritarian government sparked a popular uprising that eventually forced Abiy's predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn, to resign.

In 2018, Abiy was appointed by the ruling class to quell tensions and bring about change, without jeopardizing the old political order.

But almost as soon as he became prime minister, Abiy announced the reorganization of the ruling coalition that the TPLF had founded - the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Front (EPRDF), made up of four parties - into a single new Prosperity Party, ostracizing the TPLF in the process.

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