Ethiopia's cabinet has approved a draft law aiming to lift the country's state of emergency that was imposed in February after months of widespread anti-government protests.

The prime minister's chief of staff says on Twitter that the Council of Ministers reviewed the security situation and found that "law and order has been restored."

The draft law will be sent to parliament for consideration.

This is the second state of emergency imposed in the East African nation, one of Africa's strongest economies, during more than two years of sometimes deadly protests demanding wider freedoms. It was imposed a day after former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned.

Since new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was installed in April, several thousands of prisoners have been released and tensions in restive areas have dramatically declined.