Seal of the United States Department Of State (Wikipedia Commons)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The Department of State has ordered the departure of non-emergency American government employees and their families in Ethiopia amid armed conflict, civil unrest and possibly shortages in the Horn of Africa nation. The State Department urges U.S citizens in Ethiopia to depart now using commercially available options. The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa is unlikely to be able to assist U.S. citizens in Ethiopia with departure if commercial options become unavailable, according to a security alert issued. “Although seats on commercial flights currently remain available, we cannot predict when demand will exceed capacity. Travel to Ethiopia is unsafe due to the ongoing armed conflict. Incidents of civil unrest and ethnic violence are occurring without warning. The situation may escalate further and may cause supply chain shortages, communications blackouts, and travel disruptions. The Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency on November 2, 2021,” according to the security alert. “At the moment, the Embassy remains open and able to process U.S. passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad for those preparing to depart. The Embassy can also provide a repatriation loan for U.S. citizens who cannot afford at this time to purchase a commercial ticket to the United States. Please contact the Embassy’s American Citizen Services Unit at AddisACS@state.gov for further information.”
U.S. Calls For Ceasefire in ETHIOPIA Conflict as Rebels Advance Toward Capital Addis Ababa
Abiy Ahmed Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Credit: twitter.com)
The year-long civil war in Ethiopia has reached a crisis point as several rebel groups advanced toward the nation’s capital city Addis Ababa threatening to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Thousands of opposition forces are reportedly just 200 miles of Addis Ababa, the headquarters of the African Union. The bloody conflict is said to have killed thousands of people, displaced millions, and created starvation for hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians. The U.S. Special Envoy for Horn Africa Jeffrey Feltman was dispatched to Ethiopia this week to meet with government officials to call on them to negotiate a ceasefire.
