AFRICA

Ethiopia lifts nighttime curfew imposed on restive regional capital

ADDIS ABABA — Authorities in Ethiopia’s SouthWestern Gambella region on Wednesday announced that they lifted a nighttime curfew imposed on Gambella, the regional capital, last month.

The Gambella regional government communication affairs office said in a press statement that the nighttime curfew was lifted because Gambella city’s population was able to “overcome” the enemy and restore the city’s peace in a short span of time. It also said the nighttime curfew was lifted as mop-up operations of all remaining “fugitive” enemy forces had been completed.

An 8:00 p.m. to dawn curfew was imposed on Gambella city in June in the aftermath of a deadly rebel attack. A joint armed attack by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and Gambella Liberation Front (GLF) rebel fighters on the city last month left yet an unspecified number of civilians and combatants dead. Another reason for the nighttime curfew being lifted is to alleviate the inconvenience created by it on drivers and users of auto rickshaw vehicles, read the statement.

While saying there are enough security forces to protect the peace of Gambella city now, the Gambella regional government communication affairs office called on members of the public to report any unusual activities, including suspected nighttime criminal activities.

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