· Amidst the deepening crisis in Ethiopia, the United States has ordered non-emergency government employees to leave Ethiopia. It has also advised all US citizens to leave Ethiopia “as soon as possible.
· On its website, the US has warned that Incidents of civil unrest and ethnic violence may escalate further and may disrupt the supply chain, communications, and travel.
· The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, was in Addis Ababa last week but failed to strike a breakthrough in his negotiations to bring an end to the fighting.
Amidst the deepening crisis in Ethiopia, the United States has ordered non-emergency government employees to leave Ethiopia. It has also advised all US citizens to leave Ethiopia “as soon as possible. On its website, the US has warned that Incidents of civil unrest and ethnic violence may escalate further and may disrupt the supply chain, communications, and travel. The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, was in Addis Ababa last week but failed to strike a breakthrough in his negotiations to bring an end to the fighting. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Norway have also given similar advisory to their citizens and officials.
The fighting between federal government troops and Tigrayan rebels has intensified and the rebels have announced that they will take over Addis Ababa soon. The Ethiopian government, which declared a nationwide state of emergency last week, has denied any threat to the capital. Tens of thousands of Ethiopians have rallied around the government to defend the capital from advancing rebels. In a pro-military rally, the participants dismissed international efforts to end the year-long war.Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Twitter has urged Ethiopians to be ready to make “sacrifices” to save the country from rebel forces.
African Union and the UN Security Council have raised serious concerns about the development in the region and fear that the impact of the war will go beyond Ethiopia and impact the region in general. There is growing concern about the consequences of the conflict in the region. Neighboring countries like Kenya and South Sudan, fear an increase in smuggling of weapons and a possible influx of hundreds of refugees if the war continues. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called for a summit of the East African Community (EAC) to discuss the situation.
Meanwhile, nine groups, opponents of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, have announced that they are planning to form a coalition with the aim of removing Abiy’s government by force or negotiations. The alliance’s announcement is not in line with the AU and UN, which recognise Abiy as the legitimate head of the government. Both have advised him to open dialogue with other groups.
