Ethiopia

FCDO advises against all travel to Tigray region. There is ongoing fighting between Ethiopian federal government forces and forces opposed to the federal government in the Tigray region. Some flights are suspended and flights across northern Ethiopia may also be suspended or cancelled at short notice. If you are in the Tigray region, shelter in place. You should also: - stay indoors where possible - follow local restrictions, including curfews - monitor local media for developments - check with your airline for the latest information Consider leaving the Tigray region by commercial means as soon as you judge it is safe to do so. Travellers may face increased scrutiny, particularly if they are of Amhara, Tigrayan or Oromo ethnicity. Officials may carry out direct police operations including road checkpoints and door-to-door calls. Security services sometimes conduct house searches without authorisation. If security officials request access to your accommodation, check the credentials of the officials and then comply with their requests. The authorities have increased security checks at Bole International Airport and there are reports of ethnic Tigrayans being prevented from boarding flights. In all cases, avoid confrontation and follow the instructions of the authorities. GPS signal is unreliable within Addis Ababa and nearby areas. You can download maps for use offline, and to familiarise yourself with routes before you travel. Only use buses or taxis from the airport that have been organised by your hotel or travel company. If you are booking your own taxi, choose yellow or app-based taxis rather than the blue and white ones. FCDO advises against all travel to Tigray region. There is ongoing fighting between Ethiopian federal government forces and forces opposed to the federal government in the Tigray region. Some flights are suspended and flights across northern Ethiopia may also be suspended or cancelled at short notice. If you are in the Tigray region, shelter in place. You should also: - stay indoors where possible - follow local restrictions, including curfews - monitor local media for developments - check with your airline for the latest information Consider leaving the Tigray region by commercial means as soon as you judge it is safe to do so. New information about fighting in the Tigray region and updated information about travel from the airport and around Addis Ababa.

20 giorni fa, l’Eritrea ha rotto i legami con gli Emirati, definendo «colonialista» l’asse Etiopia-Emirati-Israele. Successivamente, sette gruppi separatisti hanno dichiarato guerra al governo etiope, senza ottenere risultati significativi, l’esercito etiope importanti contrattacca. Le autorità etiopi hanno accusato l’esercito eritreo di essere coinvolto nel conflitto e di aver impiegato migliaia di soldati a difesa dei «separatisti del Tigray». L' Eritrea sostiene che l’Etiopia voglia ottenere uno sbocco sul mare occupando un Paese vicino. Di fronte alle crescenti minacce etiopi contro Eritrea, Sudan ed Egitto, domani al Cairo si terrà un vertice tra Sudan, Egitto, Eritrea, Somalia e Gibuti per condannare l’Etiopia. Sono circolate notizie secondo cui l’Etiopia avrebbe dichiarato guerra all’Eritrea, ma nei media etiopi non vi è alcuna traccia della presunta dichiarazione.

Gli Emirati Arabi Uniti hanno sviluppato negli ultimi anni una partnership particolarmente stretta con l’Etiopia, sostenendo il governo di Addis Abeba sul piano economico, politico e, in passato, anche militare. Dietro questa partnership si inserisce anche il sostegno e l’interesse degli attori occidentali verso gli Emirati, che rappresentano un importante partner strategico nel Golfo e nel Corno d’Africa. Parallelamente, l’Etiopia ha intensificato le proprie richieste per ottenere un accesso stabile al Mar Rosso. Il porto eritreo di Assab, per la sua posizione strategica, rappresenta uno degli asset più rilevanti in questo quadro.