Addis Abeba – The Central Shewa command post, which is responsible for managing the state of emergency in the Amhara region, has officially announced the cessation of restrictions on movement along the main asphalt road connecting Debre Berhan and Dessie cities, starting from today.
The decision to lift the ban was attributed by the command post to “the observed improvement in security conditions within the area and the formal request submitted by the local community.”
The imposition of the ban on movement along the main asphalt road between Debre Berhan and Dessie cities ensued subsequent to the brutal killing of eight civilians in Shewa Robit on 23 February, 2024.
According to sources who spoke with Addis Standard after the attack, the victims, comprising five men who were educators and three women employed as domestic workers returning from the Middle East, were traveling from Addis Abeba to Kemise, a prominent city located in the Oromo special zone of the Amhara region.
They were intercepted by a militia group in Shewa Robit, situated in the North Shewa zone of the Amhara region.
The military command post attributed the attack to “extremists who have perpetrated acts of murder, abduction, robbery, and other heinous crimes against innocent travelers” on the primary route linking Addis Abeba to Dessie.
Last week, Addis Standard reported that the military command post, which oversees the state of emergency in DebreTabor, has modified the curfew regulations in the city, including adjustments to both vehicular and pedestrian curfew timings.
Previously scheduled for 7 PM, the vehicular curfew has been prolonged to 8 PM, whereas the pedestrian curfew, originally imposed until 8 PM, has been extended to 9 PM.
In a statement issued last week, the command post elucidated, “This decision has been made subsequent to a comprehensive evaluation of the prevailing security conditions within the city.” AS
