Ethiopia is restoring the internet in western parts of the country in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus.
Services have been blocked for the past three months following an outbreak of violence in western Oromia. In some areas phone services were also cut.
Armed members of Ethiopia’s Oromo ethnic group have for months been attacking government officials and clashing with the security forces.
University students from the Amhara ethnic group have been kidnapped.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is himself Oromo, has faced mounting opposition from Oromo activists as well as members of other ethnic groups.
There have been 23 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ethiopia and no known deaths.
The Ethiopia’s electoral board has also postponed August’s highly anticipated general election because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A new schedule would be announced once the threat of the pandemic was over, the board said.
Much of its planning had been hit by the disruption caused by coronavirus, such as obtaining election materials on time and training staff, it said.
Voter registration had been due to begin in April and political parties would have commenced their campaigns late in May.
The elections will be the first since Prime Minister and Nobel prize winner Abiy Ahmed came to office in 2018. He has carried out wide-ranging reforms over the last two years.
Birtukan Mideska, a former judge and leading opposition figure, was appointed head of Ethiopia’s electoral board in November 2018.
-BBC
