Ethiopian capital starts 2-day weapons registration drive

"Any resident of Addis Ababa starting from today (Tuesday) has to register weapons it has in its hands in a two days period to the nearest police stations regardless whether the weapon was registered in prior times or not," Xinhua news agency quoted Chief of Addis Ababa city Peace and Security Administration Bureau Kenea Yadeta as saying.

"All residents have to be organised in blocks and neighbourhoods to protect their home area's peace and security in coordination with the security forces," Yadeta was quoted as saying by state media outlet Ethiopia News Agency.

The Addis Ababa security chief also announced abrupt security checks will be conducted across various parts of Ethiopia's capital and warned individuals to stop disseminating fake information on social media platforms.

"Irreversible measures will be taken on entities that work to create gaps and suspicions between the government and the people," Yadeta said.

The heightened security measures in Ethiopia's capital come amid reports of intensifying clashes between federal government allied forces and forces allied with the Tigray People's Liberation Army (TPLF) in northern Ethiopia.

The TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Force backed by allied forces have been engaged in a one-year-long conflict that has reportedly left tens of thousands of people dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The Ethiopian House of People's Representatives, the lower house of Parliament, had previously designated the TPLF as a terrorist organisation.

Amid intensifying conflict in the northern parts of the East African country, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday called on all able Ethiopians to participate in the ongoing fighting against the rebel group.