The United States has issued a travel advisory for Ethiopia. It’s allowing voluntary departure from the country by some embassy staff and family, a day after the Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency. This as fighting with rebel Tigrayan forces continues.
The advisory further warns its citizens against traveling to Ethiopia due to ongoing armed conflict.
On Tuesday, neighbouring Kenya called for dialogue between the warring parties and the political will to see an end to the year-old conflict.
The decision comes even as US Special envoy for Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman made his way to Ethiopia for talks with the government. The US has expressed “grave concern” with continued fighting in the country, saying it has prolonged the humanitarian crisis in the Tigray region.
On Monday, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) announced that it has taken key towns in the country and warned that it was continuing its march to the capital Addis Ababa, forcing the government to announce a state of emergency.
At the same time, the US has stripped Ethiopia of its duty-free access to its market over what it said was human rights abuses.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in a report released on Wednesday indicated that both sides to the conflict had committed atrocities that amount to war crimes.
