Traveling to Ethiopia: UK revises travel advice due to terrorism threat

30 April, 2007

The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom has revised its travel advice for Ethiopia in view of the heightened tense situation arising out of Ethiopia and Eritrea supporting opposing factions in Somalia and Sudan.

The travel advice warns against all travel within 50 kilometres of all borders of Ethiopia – the Ethiopia-Somalia, the Ethiopia-Eritrea, the Ethiopia-Sudan, the Ethiopia-Kenya and the Ethiopia-Djibouti borders.

The relevant points in the travel advice are:

The British Foreign Office has advised against all travel to areas off the principal roads/towns within 50 kilometres of the border areas with Eritrea because of the risk of landmines.

The Ethiopia-Eritrea border remains closed and the situation is very tense and could deteriorate rapidly.

Advise against all travel to the Danakil desert area bounded by the Dessie-Adigrat road, the Dessie-Djibouti road and the Ethiopia-Eritrea border. (On March 1, 2007, 14 people, including a group of western tourists and their tour guides, were abducted by an armed group near Lake Asele in the Danakil Depression region. Five of those abducted were released on March 13 and the rest nine were released on April 23 April).

 Advise against all travel to the Gambella region where the situation remains volatile.

Advise against all travel to areas off the principal roads/towns within 50 kilometres of the borders with Sudan and Kenya. Along the border with Kenya, cross-border banditry related to the drought in the region has increased. Armed groups hostile to the government of Ethiopia operate in several areas near the border with Kenya.
* There is a high threat from terrorism in Ethiopia. Attacks against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners, are possible. Since the mid-1990s, Somali groups affiliated with terrorist organisations have clashed with government forces in the border states, particularly in the Ogaden region. They may also occasionally operate within the Oromiya, and Afar regions.
* Following serious, politically motivated disturbances in Addis Ababa in late 2005, the situation remains unpredictable. Travelers should be extremely vigilant at all times while in public places and should avoid any public demonstrations or large gatherings of people.

Around 8,000 British tourists visit Ethiopia each year. The main type of incident for which British nationals required consular assistance in 2006 in Ethiopia was for replacing lost passports or dealing with victims of crime.