Nearly a week after Ethiopia proclaimed a state of emergency to quell a rebellion, Kenya and Uganda are frantically trying to learn the whereabouts of their citizens who may be in Ethiopia’s dangerous Amhara region.
Both countries’ diplomats in Addis Ababa said they were keeping an eye on the situation in Amhara but were unable to say whether or how many of their citizens were trapped.
The information was released as the Ethiopian government continued to pursue insurgents who had since last week forced authorities in Amhara, north of the capital Addis Ababa, to suspend regular law enforcement.
Amhara was placed under a state of emergency for six months as a result of clashes between the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and the Adamo militia. The army and the Fano organisation, which opposes the government’s move to disband regional militias in an effort to create a unified national force, have, nevertheless, engaged in other conflicts.
As a result of the circumstances, there have been a number of unsubstantiated reports of Kenyans being stuck in Gondar, one of the Amhara cities where fighting had broken out.
But a statement from the Kenyan Embassy in Addis Ababa said it was still monitoring the situation while asking any stranded nationals to contact the mission.
“All Kenyan Nationals are therefore advised to: Adhere to the Rules and Regulations issued by the Government of Ethiopia in relation to the State of Emergency in the Amhara Region. Avoid movement in insecure areas. Contact Kenya Embassy Addis Ababa through the outlined channels,” the statement read.
It gave the contacts as keaddisababa@gmail.com, addisababa@mfa.go.ke and phone numbers: +251 11 6610135/6, +251-929-107-859, and 251976056336 and +254114757002.
Amhara was placed under a state of emergency for six months as a result of clashes between the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and the Adamo militia. The army and the Fano organisation, which opposes the government’s move to disband regional militias in an effort to create a unified national force, have, nevertheless, engaged in other conflicts.
As a result of the circumstances, there have been a number of unsubstantiated reports of Kenyans being stuck in Gondar, one of the Amhara cities where fighting had broken out.
The event in Amhara may still be a sign of ongoing issues with how East African nations handle crises involving expatriate populations. Most of the stranded citizens needed help from other rescues to evacuate the area where Ethiopian forces battled with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) when conflict broke out in Tigray in November 2021. In November of last year, a truce was agreed upon by the two parties.
However, the Amhara predicament is partially a result of the Tigray war. In order to improve the cohesion of the national army, the Ethiopian government declared after the peace agreement that it would disarm all regional militias, even those that fought with national forces against the TPLF. Some organisations objected to the change because it would impair their security system.
The General Department Command, to be led by Temesgen Tiruneh, the head of the nation’s espionage agency, was established following the state of emergency declared by the Ethiopian Council of Ministers on Friday.
The Command claims that the insurrection halted government operations, freed prisoners, and drove farmers from their land.