Ethiopian Minister of Defense Siraj Fegessa (Reuters)
A state of emergency imposed by Ethiopia after the prime minister resigned will last six months, the defence minister said on Saturday.
"There are still pockets of areas where violence is prevalent. The (ruling EPRDF coalition's) council were unanimous in their decision," Siraj Fegessa told journalists.
The state of emergency includes a ban on protests and publications that incite violence, an Ethiopian official told Reuters.
Ethiopia announced a state of emergency on Friday after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Thursday announced his intention to step down amid a political crisis in the Horn of Africa country.
The ruling EPRDF coalition's council had met on Friday and decided to impose emergency rule.
The council "came to the conclusion that imposing emergency rule would be vital to safeguarding the constitutional order of our country", it said.
An opposition leader said earlier on Friday the ruling coalition had lost its authority and all parties must help map the country's future.
Mulatu Gemechu, deputy secretary of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, said Ethiopia needed a completely new political system after years of unrest.
"Ethiopians now need a government that respects their rights, not one that keeps beating and killing them," he told Reuters.
Rights advocates have frequently criticised Ethiopia's government for mass arrests and long jail terms handed to political opponents and journalists.
But more than 6,000 political prisoners have been freed since January as the government has struggled to placate discontent.
The prime minister's resignation followed a wave of strikes and demonstrations successfully demanding the release of more opposition leaders.
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