Ethiopians told to protect capital against rebels

State media in Ethiopia say the authorities in Addis Ababa are urging residents to register their private weapons within the next two days.

This follows comments by a rebel alliance that it was considering marching on to the Ethiopian capital.

The Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, the TPLF – which has been fighting government forces for the past year – has now linked up with fighters from an Oromo force – giving the rebels a major boost in their ability to threaten Addis Ababa.

A TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda told the BBC the alliance had already joined up north of the capital.

Rebel advances have sparked a national call to arms by Ethiopia’s prime minister and there’s a state of emergency in the Amhara and Oromia region.

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