(Bloomberg) -- Ethiopian lawmakers voted to extend a state of emergency in the northern Amhara region that the government first declared in August following clashes between federal troops and a rebel group. 

Justice Minister Gedion Timothewos on Friday put forward a bill to extend the emergency decree by four months, a measure the government said was necessary due to ongoing concerns about security in the region.

Tensions between the Fano militia army — a group that allied with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his two-year war against rebels from the Tigray region — and the government have remained heightened since it was decided in April last year to integrate all regional special forces either into the national army or the police force. Fano refused to surrender its weapons, sparking clashes.

Read More: The Two-Year Conflict That’s Torn Ethiopia Apart: QuickTake

 

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