France and Germany are calling on their nationals to leave Ethiopia as soon as possible. The United Nations has also asked family members of UN employees to leave the country immediately, AFP news agency reported on the basis of an internal document.
The situation in the country is unsafe because of a war that has been going on for over a year. Rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) say they are getting closer to the capital Addis Ababa.
The French embassy in Addis Ababa today sent an email to members of the French community in the country saying that “all French nationals are formally urged to leave the country without delay”. The embassy says it took this decision in view of “the changing military situation”.
Commercial flights
In the email, the French embassy said it plans to facilitate departures by reserving seats on commercial flights and arranging charter flights “if necessary”.
The German Foreign Ministry also called on compatriots in Ethiopia to leave the country on the first commercial flights available. Earlier, the US already made such a call to Americans. According to military sources at CNN In neighboring Djibouti, the US military has prepared special units that “can help the US embassy if the situation worsens”.
Code red
At the beginning of November, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel warning issued for Ethiopia. With the exception of Addis Ababa, the whole country colored red. However, the ministry does not explicitly call on Dutch people to leave the country immediately. In the advice For the time being, the ministry says: “We advise you and your family members to leave Ethiopia if your stay in the country is not necessary.”
The state of emergency has been in effect in the East African country since the beginning of November. TPLF rebels are in conflict with the government army. Thousands of people have been killed and two million Ethiopians are displaced.
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