Aid groups begin removing some nonessential staffers from Ethiopia

Following the Ethiopian government’s declaration of a six-month state of emergency Tuesday, aid organizations told Devex they are working to remove some nonessential international staffers and others on short-term visas from the country, given the tensions and uncertainty.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed used some of his strongest rhetoric since the year-old conflict began, as he called on citizens to take up arms to defend the capital of Addis Ababa against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front if its militants were to march on the city.

“Dying for Ethiopia is a duty [for] all of us,” he said in a public address Monday.

The emergency declaration comes in the wake of a recent escalation of violence in the regions of Tigray, Amhara, and Afar and a gain in territory by the TPLF, which has been in armed conflict against the federal government. TPLF forces have moved south into Amhara, taking the strategic cities of Dessie and Kombolcha, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing in response and the forces edging closer to the nation’s capital.

The escalating violence is expected to worsen a humanitarian crisis that has already left 5.2 million people in the need of urgent aid, including those facing famine. Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, expressed concern Wednesday that the emergency declaration will afford the government “sweeping powers of arrest and detention.”

“The situation is dire, and … it is getting worse,” said Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa, during a press briefing Tuesday. Feltman is set to travel to Ethiopia on Thursday and Friday.

Alarmed by the declaration and the prime minister’s rhetoric, aid organizations told Devex they are taking actions to reorganize some of their nonessential staffers. One organization, which wished to remain anonymous to avoid repercussions from the Ethiopian government, said it has had informal conversations with donors and embassies that recommended the relocation of nonessential staffers and families, as well as halting noncritical visitors or the return of dependents outside the country.

The organization said it is also concerned about supporting staffers who are staying in hotels or guesthouses, because these areas are harder to monitor if hostilities flare.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia issued a statement saying its personnel were restricted from traveling outside of Addis Ababa.

“We strongly suggest that U.S. citizens seriously reconsider travel to Ethiopia and those who are currently in Ethiopia consider making preparations to leave the country,” it read.

Airport capacity at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is a concern for organizations. Some have started to book flights out of the country for staffers, worried that if the situation worsens, getting them out quickly will be difficult — with driving out of the capital city not seen as a feasible option.

The entire region is on alert. On Tuesday, the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres said this escalation of violence threatens not only the stability of Ethiopia, but the broader region.

In Kenya, the office of the National Police Service’s inspector general echoed this sentiment Wednesday, saying the unfolding events “disturb the peace and stability in neighbouring countries and the greater Eastern Africa region.”

In recent weeks, the Ethiopian government has shelled the Tigrayan city of Mekele, leading to the deaths of three children. A joint investigation released Wednesday by UN Human Rights and the government’s Ethiopian Human Rights Commission found widespread unlawful killings, extrajudicial executions, torture, sexual violence, violations against refugees, and forced displacement of civilians over the past year, with abuses committed by all parties to the confllict.