The East African (Nairobi)
By David Mayen
The US Embassy in Ethiopia has urged its citizens in Addis Ababa to leave the country, providing several evacuation options for its citizens, amid heightened conflict in the country.
In a press release on Friday, the embassy said it has hired a commercial plane to evacuate citizens willing to leave the capital as soon as possible.
“The security situation in Ethiopia continues to deteriorate. The Embassy urges US citizens in Ethiopia to depart now using commercially available options.
“Although the Embassy continues to process emergency passports and repatriation loans, and to provide other emergency services, the Embassy is unlikely to be able to assist US citizens in Ethiopia with departure if commercial options become unavailable,” said the embassy.
“If you have difficulty securing a flight or need assistance, return to the United States embassy for guidance. The Embassy can also provide a repatriation loan for US citizens who cannot afford at this time to purchase a commercial ticket to the United States.
“If you are a US citizen or parent of a US citizen minor and are delaying your departure because of your non-US citizen spouse, your minor child, or you do not have a valid US travel document please contact us,” it added.
Weeks ago, Germany, the United Kingdom, United States and Turkey urged their nationals to leave Ethiopia over the conflict. Zambia also airlifted its citizens.
