Foreign travel advice

Ethiopia

! Warning FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Ethiopia.

Warnings and insuranceSummary

The FCDO advise against all travel to parts of the country.

Still current at:
16 NovemberSeptember 2023
Updated:
16 NovemberSeptember 2023
Latest update:
ThisInformation travelon adviceprotests hasin beenMekelle rewritten('Summary' to make it easier to read and understand. page).
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The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) providesadvises adviceagainst aboutall riskstravel to:

  • the whole of travelTigray regional state except the towns and connecting roads of Mekelle; southward to helpMaychew; Britishnorthwards nationalsto makeAdigrat; informedwest decisions.and Findnorth-westward outto moreAbiy aboutAddi, FCDOAdwa traveland advice.

    AreasShire; whereand FCDOeastward advisesto againstAbala travel

    Youron travelthe insuranceTigray/Afar couldborder

  • all beof invalidatedAmhara ifregional youstate
  • the travelwhole againstof FCDOGambella advice.regional Consularstate
  • north supportof may(but benot limitedincluding) wherethe FCDOA4 advisesroad againstin travel.

InternationalWest borderShewa areas 

FCDOZone, advisesand againstsouth alland travelwest within:  

    of (but not including) the A3 in North Shewa Zone in the Oromia regional state
  • 20kmthe West Wollega Zone, East Wollega Zone, Kellem Wellega and Horo Gudru Wellega in the Oromia regional state
  • the whole of the Metekel Zone and Maokomo Special zone in the Benishangul Gumuz regional state
  • within 20 km of the border with Sudan Sudan
  • 10kmwithin 10 km of the border with South Sudan Sudan
  • 100kmwithin 100 km of the Ethiopian border with Somalia and Kenya in Ethiopia’s Somali region, and within 30km30 km of the Ethiopian border with Somalia in Fafan zone, exceptwith the exception of border town and crossing at Wajale, and the principal road between Jijiga and Wajale Wajale
  • 10kmwithin 10 km of the border with Kenya, exceptwith forthe principalexception roadsof andprincipal towns roads/towns
  • within 10km of the border with Eritrea Eritrea

TigrayThe region 

FCDO advises against all but essential travel toto:

  • within 100km of the border with Tigray regionregional exceptstate to the townsnorth of Anseba town in Afar, and connectingwithin roads30km of Mekelle: 

      the border with Tigray regional state to the south of Anseba town in Afar
    • southwardin toEthiopian Maychew Somali Regional State, the Siti zone, the Nogob (previously Fik), Jarar (previously Degehabur), Shabelle (previously Gode), Korahe and Dollo (previously Warder), and the areas of Liben and Afder zones more than 100km from the Somalia and Kenya borders
    • northwardsthe toWest Adigrat Guji and Guji zones in the Oromia regional state
    • westthe road and north-westward10km toeither Abiyside Addi,of Adwathe road between Welenchiti and Shire Metehara on the A1 in East Shewa zone of Oromia regional state
    • eastwardthe toKonso AbalaSpecial onWoreda of the Tigray-AfarSouthern border Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR)
    • the rest of the Benishangul Gumuz regional state

    Amhara region 

    FCDOThere adviseshave againstbeen allviolent travelprotests toand clashes between security forces and informal militia across Amhara region. 

    Afarregional region 

    state since April 2023 including violent clashes in the major towns and cities of Bahir Dar, Gondar and Lalibela. Violence could emerge without warning. Travellers are at risk of being caught in crossfire. FCDO advises advisesthat againstyou allshelter travelin place and if this is not possible that you proceed to areasa ofsafe Afarlocation regionand within:  

    • 100kmstay ofthere theuntil borderit withis Tigraysafe to leave. The government has announced a 19:00 curfew in the northcities of AnsebaBahir town 
    • 30kmDar, Debre Markos, Debre Birhan, Lalibela, Gondar and Shewa Robit until 23 August. It also announced a ban on three wheeled (Bajaj) and motorcycle transport in those cities.

      The Government of theEthiopia borderand withthe Tigray People’s Liberation Front signed a peace agreement to thecease southhostilities ofin AnsebaTigray town  

    • 10kmin November 2022. Implementation of thedisarmament borderand withreconstruction Eritrea 

    Gambellameasures region 

    FCDOhave advisesbegun. againstThe allsituation travelin Tigray continues to Gambellabe region. fragile and the possibility of isolated armed incidents remains.

    Oromia region 

    The FCDO advises against all travel to theseTigray areasregion, ofexcept Oromiathe region:  

    • withintowns 10kmand connecting roads of theMekelle; bordersouthward withto Kenya,Maychew; exceptnorthwards forto principalAdigrat; roadswest and towns 
    • northnorth-westward ofto (butAbiy notAddi, including)Adwa theand A4Shire; roadand ineastward Westto ShewaAbala zone 
    • southon the Tigray/Afar border, and westto parts of (butnorthern notAmhara including)region. theIf A3you roadare in NorthTigray Shewaregion, zone  
    • Westyou Wollegashould zoneleave (includingwhere safe to do so. If you are in the mainvicinity Addisof Ababamilitary toactivity Gambellaand road),you Eastcannot Wollegaleave zone,safely, Kellemyou Wollegashould stay indoors, away from windows and Hororemain Gudrualert Wollega  

    FCDOto advisesdevelopments againstthat allwould butenable essentialyou travelto to: leave safely. See Tigray Region, Amhara Region, and Afar Region.

    • West

      In GujiJuly and2022, GujiAl-Shabaab zones 

    • fighters attacked the roadtowns andof 10kmAato, eitherYeed sideand ofWashaaqo, near to the roadborder between WelenchitiSomalia and MeteharaEthiopia. Al-Shabaab onhas theindicated A1its intention to commit further attacks in Eastthe Shewaarea zoneand ofthere Oromiamay regionalbe state 

    further fighting. Travellers in Somali Regional State 

    FCDOState advisesshould againstremain allvigilant travelat toall within: times.

    • 100km

      There have been reports of theincidents Ethiopianalong borderthe withAddis SomaliaAbaba and– KenyaBahir inDar Ethiopia’s(A3) Somaliroad, region  

    • 30kmincluding those of thearmed Ethiopianmen borderattacking withvehicles. SomaliaThese inusually Fafantake zone,place exceptin the borderearly townhours andwhen crossingthere atis Wajale,poor visibility. You should exercise additional caution and avoid traveling in the principaldark or when visibility is poor. The A3 road betweencan Jijigabe andsubject Wajale 

    FCDOto advisesincreased againstcheck allpoints butand/or essentialclosure travelby to:  the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF).

    • the

      There Sitihas zone 

    • thebeen Nogoban (previouslyincrease Fik) 
    • Jararin (previouslysporadic Degehabur) 
    • Shabelleconflicts (previouslybetween Gode) 
    • Korahearmed groups in Oromia region and DolloAmhara (previouslyregion. Warder) 
    • These are mostly reported to be taking place in rural areas of LibenOromia andregion, Afderwith zoneslimited moreclashes thanin 100kmAmhara fromregion, theincluding Somaliain andurban Kenyaareas. borders 

    Central,Air Southern,strikes Sidamaagainst andarmed Southgroups in the West regionsShewa (formerlyzone SNNPR) 

    have been reported. The FCDO advises against all buttravel essential travel: 

    • to theareas Konsonorth Specialof Woreda(but ofnot including) the SouthernA4 Nations,road Nationalities,in andWest Peoples’Shewa RegionZone, (SNNPR)  
    • withinand 10kmsouth and west of (but not including) the bordersA3 within SouthNorth SudanShewa andZone. Kenya 

    Benishangul-GumuzThe region 

    FCDO advises against all but essential travel toon thesethe areasA1 ofroad Benishangul-Gumuzand region: 

    • within10 20kmkm either side of the borderroad withbetween Sudan 
    • theMelenchite Metekeland zoneMetehara. You should exercise extreme caution when travelling and Maokomobe specialaware zone 
    that situations have potential to escalate quickly. See Amhara Region and Oromia Region

    FCDOThe advisescurrent againstpolitical alland butsecurity essentialsituation travelmeans tothat the restconsular ofsupport Benishangul-Gumuzthe region. British Embassy can provide may be limited. If you need urgent help, call +251 (0)11 617 0100. If you experience technical difficulties or if you are in the UK call +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

    FindFor outinformation moreon aboutreturning whyto FCDOthe advisesUK againstfrom travelEthiopia, see Returning to thesethe regionsUK.

    Before you travel 

    Notravel, travelcheck canthe be‘Entry guaranteedrequirements’ safe.section Readfor allEthiopia’s thecurrent adviceentry inrestrictions thisand guiderequirements. asThese wellmay aschange supportwith little warning. Monitor this advice for Britishthe nationalslatest abroadupdates whichand includes:  stay in contact with your travel provider.

    • general

      If adviceyou onplan preparingto forpass travelthrough abroadanother andcountry reducingto risks 

    • informationreturn forto women,the LGBT+UK, andcheck disabledthe travellers 
      • travel advice for the country you’re transiting.

FollowIt is more important than ever to get travel insurance and contactcheck it provides appropriate cover. See the FCDO’s travelguidance on Twitter,foreign Facebooktravel insurance.

There are frequent incidences of civil unrest in Ethiopia, including protests and Instagram.strikes. YouSome of these can alsocause signtemporary upclosure of roads, internet and mobile networks or disruption to getlocal emailbusinesses notificationsand whentransport. thisIn the past some protests have escalated into serious violence. See Local travel

Terrorists adviceare likely to try to carry out attacks in Ethiopia. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners. You should be vigilant at all times, especially in crowded areas and public places like transport hubs, hotels, restaurants, bars and places of worship and during major gatherings like religious or sporting events. There is updated.a threat of kidnapping in Ethiopia’s Somali region, and on the southern border with Kenya, particularly in the eastern areas to which the FCDO advise against all travel. See Terrorism

Travel

Internet insurance 

connections in Ethiopia, including mobile data, can be intermittent.

IfEthiopia youis chooseprimarily toa travel,cash researchbased yoursociety destinationsand banking facilities, including card payments and getATMs appropriateare travelvery insurancelimited outside major cities. See Money.

The InsuranceOverseas shouldBusiness coverRisk yourservice itinerary,offers plannedinformation activitiesand advice for British companies operating overseas on how to manage political, economic, and expensesbusiness security-related risks.

Tigrayan opposition parties have announced that protests in anMekelle emergency.  planned for 7 September will go ahead despite being denied by the authorities. Political protests in Ethiopia can be unpredictable and can escalate quickly and include violence.

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