Ethiopian
lawmakers have voted to end the country’s three-month state of emergency early
as mediation efforts continue to end the deadly war in the north.

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Tuesday’s
vote by lawmakers came after Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed, decided on January 26 to end the state of emergency
originally imposed for six months, citing recent developments in the conflict.

The
state of emergency was imposed in early November as Tigray forces fighting
Ethiopian and allied forces moved closer to the capital, Addis Ababa. They
withdrew back into the Tigray region in late December amid mediation efforts
and under pressure from a drone-supported military offensive carried out by the
government.

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Thousands
of mainly ethnic Tigrayans were detained under the state of emergency,
according to witnesses, lawyers and human rights groups. Many were released
after December’s shift in the war.

There
was no immediate word Tuesday on when the rest of the people detained under the
state of emergency would be released. They include a freelance video journalist
accredited to The Associated Press, Amir Aman Kiyaro.

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The
state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting reported: “The state of emergency
investigation board is instructed to finish any outstanding works within a
month and report back to the relevant body. Judicial bodies are also instructed
to finish emergency law-related cases within the regular judicial process.”

Ahead
of Tuesday’s vote, an advisory committee within the Ethiopian parliament said
the lifting of the state of emergency will help revive the country’s economic
and diplomatic situation. Parliament speaker Tagesse Chafo said the committee
believes the country’s security threats can now be dealt with by regular law
enforcement mechanisms.

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Fana
Broadcasting reported that some members of the advisory committee, however,
raised concerns regarding threats posed by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front
and the Oromo Liberation Army that have been fighting the federal army and its
allies.

The
parliament speaker said security threats in the Amhara, Afar, Benishangul Gumuz
and Gambella regions and the Wellega area in the Oromia region will be dealt
with by a new “corrective measure” that is being put in place.

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Ethiopia’s
war erupted in November 2020 and is believed to have caused the deaths of tens
of thousands of people and the displacement of millions. Though the war has
subsided in several places, notably within the Tigray and Amhara regions,
concerns remain in the northeastern Afar region.

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Aid
remains badly limited to millions in the Tigray region under what the United
Nations has described as a “de facto humanitarian blockade.” On Monday, the
World Health Organization said it has been granted access to send medical
supplies to Tigray for the first time in six months, but fuel shortages are
hampering distribution.