Addis Ababa, Apr 11 (IANS): Ethiopian authorities have imposed a curfew in Gonder, a major city in the northern region of Amhara, amid unrest, officials said.

Auto-rickshaws are prohibited from operating outside of the period from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., the Gonder city administration command post said in a statement on Monday, adding that bars and nightclubs are prohibited from remaining open beyond 9 p.m., reports Xinhua news agency

The curfew was imposed amid ongoing protest demonstrations starting last week in cities across the Amhara region against a federal government plan to "disarm the region's special forces".

The Ethiopian government plans to incorporate special forces in the country's 11 regional states into other regional security structures with the aim to form a strong and united security structure, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had announced on Sunday.

The curfew order also prohibited anyone outside authorized security forces structures from moving around with firearms as well as moving around with crude sharp objects