Is Ethiopia safe now?
No, Ethiopia is not safe to travel to at this time. It is not safe to even come to Addis Ababa at the moment. If you know me, you know I always recommend travelers to do my backpacking route–the Cape to Cairo route. This means you would normally pass through Ethiopia.
However, this is not possible at the moment.
I am not an overly cautious person. I backpacked for 7 months across Africa by myself. I fed a hyena out of my mouth in Harar. And I am the person who leaves the gas tank so low that I routinely break my promise to God never to do that again as long as I don’t end up deserted on the highway in the middle of the night.
So if I’m saying don’t travel to Ethiopia, you know it’s bad.
Why I Am Writing This
I recently spoke to a traveler who had tickets booked to Addis. I had to persuade her not to come. I know it’s hard to change plans, switch flights. But trust me, it’s worth it.
I remember when I was backpacking trying to bribe myself into the DRC border despite rebels approaching just so I could add another country to my list. (Thank you DRC immigration for letting me cross the border to take a picture, before forcing me back to Rwanda).
I also remember taking an illegal cargo boat off of Zanzibar so I could save $20.
Backpackers can be risky. And that’s why I’m here to tell all my fellow backpackers, that Ethiopia is OFF your list!
There is a lot more I want to say. But I can’t.
First, because at this moment, I am writing quickly so that I can plan my evacuation before the airport is shut down.
Second, I don’t want to risk my life or anyone I know by divulging too much about the situation here because freedom of speech is not free here.
My Life in Ethiopia
I love Ethiopia. It’s been my home for years– ever since I ended my 7-month backpacking journey.
The country is beautiful, quirky, magnetizing, and so full of potential. Ethiopians are humble, sweet, kind, and will do anything to help another person. The food is the best in Africa. The coffee is the best in the world.
I could go on and on because I love Ethiopia. And it will always be my home. I am rooted here. I married here. My extended family is all here.
So often African countries are only spoken about for their bad things. As Chimanada Adichie would say in her must-watch Ted Talk–the single side story.
Please know– when I talk about the conflict in Ethiopia, that this is only a tiny part of this gorgeous, complex country and that there is so much good here!
What Living in Ethiopia is Like Right Now
At this time, almost all parts of the country are unsafe to travel due to conflict or the risk of sudden.
Things are changing fast too. Just last weekend, we took a fun adventure in the jungles of Arba Minch. One of the only safe travel destinations in Ethiopia left to visit. We saw hippos, crocodiles, and drank out of leaves from natural springs. It was magical.
The morning we left though, key cities in the north had been captured. The day after we arrived back in Addis, Tigrays in Addis began getting round up.
Despite this, Addis Ababa still feels somewhat normal. We’re moving around like nothing much has changed. I’m at a cafe, getting work done, and then will do a quick workout– like normal.
But everyone is worried.
A few days ago, a National Emergency was declared saying that ordinary citizens could be called to join the military. That vehicles and houses could be taken if they supported the effort.
This prompted the US Embassy to tell American citizens to consider evacuation.
There are now reports that rebels could be 15 miles away from the capital city (although most don’t think this is actually true).
However, there are more reliable threats saying the airport could be shut down. Those banks may shut down and you will not have access to money or to buy food.
Getting Evacuated in Ethiopia
I remember a few years ago when Americans were told to evacuate from Ethiopia. I stayed. It was my home.
But things have changed since then. This situation is much worse.
And during the pandemic, after 24 hours of labor, I welcomed my sweet baby boy.
Being a parent changes you, and if there is any risk that Addis could lose supplies to food, banks, electricity, and mass ethnic violence could ensue, I am no longer willing to risk that.
So as we speak, I am looking at flights to Kenya where I can still be close to Ethiopia and wait it out for a few months. I am also still hopeful that this is preventative and that it’s just precautionary.
My biggest worry is getting separated from my husband. Of having to leave to keep my son safe, but having my husband unable to board a flight and join us because it’s very hard for Ethiopians to get visas. Right now, as an African he can enter most African countries without a visa. But this policy could always change, at any moment. So I am worried that will potentially get separated for months, years, with no contact if the network gets shut down. It might sound extreme. But this is what is happening to so many Ethiopians who left northern regions to get to Addis. And this is what happens to so many immigrants around the world.
Things I’m Thinking About
There is a lot I’m thinking about.
Be kind to immigrants
The first is for all the immigrants worldwide. Legal or illegal. I hope you are treated so, so, so warmly wherever you end up. People leave because their home country has no opportunities. Because it’s not safe for their children. Because they could be rounded up for their ethnicity. Slaughtered for where they were born.
It’s something that most cannot imagine. But being married to an Ethiopian and living in Addis Ababa has given me a tiny glimpse and ability to understand it more than I could when I was growing up in Indiana.
Please, please do something kind for an immigrant today. As they go about their new normal, working and contributing to their new home, their thoughts are wondering if their family is safe. If their parents who they left behind are okay. So often the network gets shut down and they do not even know if they are alive or dead. So many of the people in Addis don’t know if their family in Lalibela or Dessie or Tigray have food, water, or are still living.
Privilege
When threats to Addis Ababa became real, all of the Americans, British, and other foreigners here made plans to leave. Because they can leave. It’s hard. It’s sad. It’s an adjustment. But it’s nothing to what an Ethiopian, who knows they cannot leave, will experience.
And something that has never sat well with me is that these are the people who help dictate policies in Ethiopia. Create projects to “help” the country. Who are in charge of so many things here. And yet at the end of the day, they can leave. There is something so, so wrong about the amount of influence a foreigner can have in a developing country.
People who have no roots and the ability to leave a country so easily should not have this much power to shape a country.
Even myself, as an American, I can leave. But my husband cannot. The stark contrast is unreal, unhuman, unacceptable.
Hope
I love Ethiopia, and I still hope for the best. Hope for peace. And hope that things will dissipate and all turn around. This country has an amazing history, and we can all hope that everything will turn out fine.
For Travelers in Africa
So, while there is so much more I want to write and could write, I really just wanted to impress upon a traveler coming to Ethiopia to please wait until it’s safer to come. Please cancel your plans, change your flights, and head to another African country instead.
How Can you Tell if an African Country is Safe?
One of the things travelers wonder is how can you tell if a country is safe. I talk about safety a lot in my How to Travel Africa Course!
Here are a few tiny tidbits.
1) Know that just because one country is unsafe doesn’t mean the neighboring country is unsafe. For example, Kenya is completely fine and unaffected by the war in Ethiopia.
2) Always check with the UK, US, or your country’s safety warnings. For example, the UK Foreign Advice on Ethiopia has clearly stated not to travel here. List to their advice! Although I’m American, I personally, prefer UK’s advice.
3) If the conflict was a long time ago, don’t worry about it. The country is probably fine. For example, people always bring up Rwanda’s genocide. But that was so long ago, and Rwanda is amazing to travel to.
Sometimes parts of countries are dangerous but the rest of the country is fine. Northern Kenya often struggles but the rest of the country is safe. So don’t worry if it’s just one region. But in Ethiopia, it’s all over so it’s a no-go.
4) Watch out for anti-American or anti-foreign protests. Sometimes you might travel somewhere, but as a foreigner, you are still welcome and safe. However, in Ethiopia, due to the issue of the Renaissance Dam and other factors, there has been a lot of sentiment against foreigners which may impact you.
5) Always ask someone who lives there. Don’t ask a non-profit worker or missionary. No offense, but they tend to benefit from dramatizing conflict. However, ask a trusted local, a backpacking lodge, or a foreigner (like me) who lives there.
For example, when protests rose in South Africa, I know many backpackers who were afraid to travel there. I quickly contacted a few lodges and friends on the ground, who told me that it was a one-day thing and that it was fine to come. It was just the media making it look worse than it was.
When it…