Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has urged citizens to leave Ethiopia immediately, saying Canada is worried by the “rapidly deteriorating security situation.”
Since November 18, she reminded, Ottawa has been asking Canadians to avoid all travel to Ethiopia
“We are now asking Canadians who are already there to leave immediately if it is safe to do so,” she said, citing the possibility of commercial flight disruptions “should the situation continue to worsen.”
For now, Canada’s embassy in Addis Ababa remains open, but consular services are limited, officials said.
Ottawa’s notice to Canadians in Ethiopia comes after the United States and other nations told their citizens to leave the country amid fears that Tigrayan rebels could march on the capital.
The war erupted in November 2020 when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, sent troops into the Tigray region to topple its ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).