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Security Overview for Ethiopia
Ethiopia is going through political turmoil. The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is facing numerous opposition groups and insurgencies in the countryside. Following the highly disputed 2005 general elections, members of the umbrella opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) organized anti-government protests in Addis Ababa. Authorities met protests with excessive force. An estimated 86 people were killed during the violence and 131 opposition leaders were arrested on charges of terrorism and attempts to overthrow the government.
The regime's response to the protests deepened mistrust and political and social divisions. Sporadic demonstrations at high schools and universities occur frequently and in March 2006 three bombs exploded in a crowded area of the capital.
Outside of the capital, the biggest threat to travelers is ongoing insurgencies in the north, a separate insurgency in the southeastern region of Ogaden, ethnic tensions in the southwestern region of Gambella, a longstanding rebellion in Oromia on the border with Sudan, and tensions on the Eritrean border.
In the north, the government is facing the Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front (EPPF) rebels, a small group that mainly operates in the Bedew area. In March 2006, the EPPF released a statement indicating that it had launched an attack on government forces in Bedew killing 119 soldiers and wounding several others.
In the last three years, tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have increased after Ethiopia rejected an international boundary commission ruling demarcating their borders. Both Ethiopia and Eritrea have been building their military capacity as they prepare for a possible war.
In Ogaden, a southeastern region of Ethiopia inhabited exclusively by ethnic Somalis, the federal government is facing the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) fighting for independence. The movement was created in 1984 and has since been launching attacks in the region. The latest attacks came on 22 April, 2005 in Shilabo, 932 miles from the capital Addis Ababa, where the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) killed 32 insurgents.
In the southwestern Gambella region, ethnic tensions are pitching the ethnic Anuak against the Habasha and the Nuer ethnic groups over a longstanding land dispute. The Anuak, who are the original inhabitants, have found themselves a minority after waves of immigration from the ethnic Nuer from Sudan and a forced resettlement in 1980s by the federal government of highlanders in the 1980s. Ethnic Anuak fighters grouped in the Gambella People Liberation Front (GPLF) based in Southern Sudan have been raiding Highlanders and Nuer villages hoping to force them out of what they consider to be their land. They have also engaged in sporadic fighting with the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, causing a violent retaliation against the Anuak in Gambella.
In the Oromia region, the government is dealing with the Sudan-based Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) fighting for self-determination. The OLF has infiltrated many of its fighters in the region and the capital in order to force the federal government to negotiate.
The crime rate in urban areas is relatively low. Incidents of petty crimes, such as pickpocketing and purse snatching, are on the rise, though remain low by sub-Saharan Africa levels. The quality of police service varies from region to region, with the best security in Addis Ababa's hotel district, around national monuments, at Aviator's Circle and at the airport. To reduce vulnerability, travel in groups, avoid walking at night, carry small amounts of cash and follow common-sense security precautions.
Avoid using public transportation; it is unreliable and is not secure. It is also best to avoid shared taxi services. Whenever possible, drive a rented vehicle or a taxi arranged by your host or hotel.
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